By Casto Cañavate
KNX Association is working to bring even greater simplicity and innovation to its wider ecosystem, and deliver long-term positive environmental impact. Discover the work and the initiatives that are underpinning this evolution.
The concept of ‘Buildings 4.0’ is bringing the principles of automation, data exchange and digital technologies into the built environment, working to create more efficient, intelligent and user-friendly homes and buildings.
In parallel, living and working more sustainably has become imperative. From grass-roots movements to national regulations and supranational UN Sustainable Development Goals, the world is working to achieve Net Zero.
Our houses, apartments, hotels, schools, hospitals, factories, and more are a key part of this puzzle. These two evolutions – Buildings 4.0 and sustainability – can work hand in hand. By embedding digital technologies and enabling automation, we can optimise the impact and user experiences of our buildings. And, importantly, environmentally-focused features need not hinder the functionality or user experience of our buildings.
Do smart devices equate to sustainable buildings?
Whilst a rich and diverse ecosystem of device makers and products is essential for innovation, achieving truly ‘smart’ homes and buildings is impossible if said devices cannot seamlessly and securely communicate, share data and trigger actions. The smart home and building landscape is fragmented, and this can impact the user’s experience, functionality, energy management capabilities and much more.
Extending this thought, sustainable smart buildings with proactive energy management are only possible when smart devices are fully integrated into a single intelligent system. Stand-alone devices from varying ecosystems may be able to share some high-level data with one another, but it can only go so far. They will never be able to proactively monitor the building and intelligently take collective action.
This approach to intelligent smart buildings does not need to be complex – not when there is KNX.
A powerful community, creating future-proof technology
The KNX ecosystem has been the standard for smart homes and buildings for 35 years and is defining buildings of the future.
The KNX open standard has created a mature global ecosystem of devices, solutions, services, software, expert installers, and more. The resulting scalable and secure digital platform is electrifying and digitising homes and buildings to optimise and enrich the world around us.
Leadership today and tomorrow
The KNX ecosystem has evolved significantly in recent years, and KNX Association is committed to maintaining the quality and reliability that KNX installations are known for, whilst bringing even greater simplicity to the adoption, implementation, maintenance and use of innovative KNX systems.
As Jean-Christophe Krieger, President of KNX Association, puts it, “The next decade will be defined by simplicity, and innovation – and KNX is already shaping this future. Together with our global community, we will continue to evolve our technology, lower barriers for newcomers, provide efficiency to our system integrators and ensure that every KNX installation delivers long-term value for people and the planet. Our strength has always been collaboration and constant movement, and it is this collective spirit that will guide KNX into its next era of leadership.”
Action for progress
In our drive for simplicity, innovation and sustainability, a wide range of activities is in progress:
• Lowering entry barriers for new audiences – it is important that as many people as possible can understand, adapt and work with KNX technology. KNX is actively working to help new users get started and give every stakeholder a simple and smooth experience to help them achieve their objectives more easily.
• Improving accessibility to KNX technology – thinking about the technology itself, we are making it easier to work with the specifications and access technical guidance, offering greater flexibility for commissioning workflows and boosting interoperability with third-party systems, manufacturers, and tools.
• Faster, simpler tooling – our community of professionals and system integrators is one of our greatest assets. New innovations are set to make project creation, configuration and maintenance simpler, drastically cutting down the time and complexity involved.
• Harnessing the future – being at the forefront of innovation benefits our ecosystem, implementations and end-users. We are therefore working on a range of initiatives, including aligning KNX Secure with the CRA (Cyber Resilience Act) and pushing forward with impactful AI initiatives, amongst others.
• Creating positive, long-term impact – sustainability is not just a technical outcome resulting from the right implementation of energy management, it is the positive impact that KNX and its community create every day. KNX smart home and building systems are being implemented today that respect our planet, serve end-users, and preserve our future.
On our journey to enabling simpler, more sustainable smart homes and buildings, our strength is our community. We will continue to champion collaboration in everything we do and welcome feedback and contributions from all stakeholders.
Casto Cañavate is the Marketing Manager of KNX Association.
