By Yasmin Hashmi
Buildings cause 40% of global CO2 emissions – but KNX professionals have the tools to change that. From energy management to supporting environmental initiatives, discover how KNX is creating a greener future.
There are many negative headline-grabbing issues facing the world these days. You could be forgiven for being depressed by it all, and decide to bury your head in the sand, but one ongoing threat that is constant, and which we cannot avoid, is climate change. It is the biggest challenge of our time, and I’m here to bring you a message of hope.
The good news is that we humans are ingenious and want our children and future generations to be safe and happy, so it comes as no surprise that away from the headlines, there are countless smart, determined and optimistic people who are working on solutions to fix the world’s problems. From green fuels and carbon capture to circular cities, treaties on plastics, alternative proteins, vertical farming, and so much more, we are finding constructive ways to live more harmoniously with nature. Inspiring projects are taking place all over the world, and some really uplifting examples can be found in the Earthshot Prize, founded by HRH Prince William.
As I am often reminded, if you look down from the International Space Station, you don’t see borders, just one beautiful planet that is home to us all. We need to look after Earth and alter our current trajectory. And this is where KNX, and you, as a KNX professional, are playing a crucial part.
Energy consumption in buildings
To quote Mike Mustapha, Division President of ABB Smart Buildings, “Buildings are at the centre of the global climate challenge.” He has good reason for saying this. According to various sources, the built environment causes around 40% of global CO2 emissions, split between operational (lighting/heating/cooling, around 30%) and embodied carbon (materials/construction, around 12%). This is massive, and anything we can do to reduce this, is going to have a significant impact.
In fact there is much that can be done to mitigate the carbon cost of buildings. From a construction (the 12%) perspective, making buildings ‘green’ through passive design and material choices, can reduce operating-costs in a new build by 10% in its first year, according to a Dodge Data & Analytics report. Within five years, the cost savings can exceed 16%. Green renovations and retrofits of existing buildings globally perform even better, at over 11% and 17%, respectively.
From the operational (the 30%) perspective, making a building smart using KNX can have an even bigger impact.
The sustainable solution for building automation
Sustainability is at the core of KNX. A founding principle of this worldwide standard was that it be designed for the long term and be backwardly compatible. This means that a KNX project from 35 years ago can be integrated with technology from today – you don’t have to rip it all out and throw it away, just replace a broken device (which rarely happens), expand and enhance.
KNX has also helped sustainability through energy efficiency and automation. One of the first KNX applications and the world’s first building automation function was the simple application of an open window causing the heating/air conditioning to switch off automatically. This has been in use for 30 years and saves up to 30% on heating energy per building. It doesn’t stop there. We have case studies covering every application, from occupancy-based lighting and HVAC, to managing completely off-grid buildings including self-generated power, water, irrigation, shading, lighting, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and more.
Energy management
Over the past 35 years, the KNX community has taken proactive energy management of buildings to the next level. Indeed, there are real-world KNX installations that optimise self-generated power for operating all of a building’s automatable functions, including domestic appliances and EV charging, that can reduce household bills by as much as 60% or even more. Now imagine scaling that up to city size!
Facing the future
Whatever your application, be it from simple light switching to the IoT City, KNX has you covered with long-term, secure, robust, scalable and reliable solutions that just go on working.
In addition to driving technical advancements such as KNX IoT, developing ever-better KNX programming software such as ETS6, embracing the power of AI to turbo-boost automation and energy optimisation, and nurturing national and local groups and training opportunities, KNX Association is keen to recognise the excellent work carried out by its every-growing worldwide community.
The biennial KNX Awards, for example, include special awards for sustainability that recognise projects using KNX technology to significantly reduce energy consumption and costs in homes and buildings through smart control. Recent winners have demonstrated major savings and reduced carbon footprints.
Plant-for-the-Planet
In addition to the positive effect that KNX technology is having on sustainability, KNX Association further demonstrates its commitment to climate protection through its annual support and donations to the ‘Plant-for-the-Planet‘ initiative. Founded by environmentalist Felix Finkbeiner nearly two decades ago, Plant-for-the-Planet has planted more than 18.5 million trees across projects in Ghana, Mexico, and Spain. This represents a potential capture of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 annually once the forests reach a steady growth phase. In 2025 alone, it planted another 1.1 million trees in the three projects, and it also helps NGOs and governments around the world to protect and restore forests.
As Felix Finkbeiner puts it, “The support of KNX, and others, is very important to Plant-for-the-Planet. Only through people and organisations that believe in our work, are we able to protect and restore forests and continue our empowerment work with children. These commitments help us create long-term impact – for climate protection, biodiversity, and future generations.”
Conclusion
KNX is playing a crucial part in building sustainability, and it is here for the long-term. Through protecting the climate with its technology and its enthusiastic support of the forward-thinking Plant-for-the-Planet initiative, KNX is helping to make a real difference to the world. In the words of singer Heather Small, ‘What have you done today to make you feel proud?’, well, whatever your KNX implementation, be it large-scale or small, you can confidently step forward as part of the growing global KNX community, and answer, with pride.
Yasmin Hashmi is the Editor of KNXtoday magazine.
