EnOcean Alliance Founded To Standardize Wireless Controls For Sustainable Buildings
A group of companies across North America and Europe have united to form the EnOcean Alliance. The Alliance’s mission is to enable intelligent green buildings based on EnOcean energy harvesting wireless technology. Founding promoters of the Alliance include Masco, Leviton, EnOcean, Distech Controls, MK Electric (a Honeywell subsidiary), Omnio and Thermokon. Additional member companies, such as Texas Instruments and Sylvania Osram, are joining the Alliance at the ’participant’ level.
The Alliance states that it addresses the demand in today’s environment and economy for a wireless eco-system that combines a broad range of interoperable, flexible and uncomplicated monitoring/control products. In wireless building automation, the EnOcean self-powered wireless technology has the largest installation base in the world - with over 70 shipping manufacturers, 300 available products and 10,000 EnOcean-enabled buildings.
It is stated that the potential for sustainable wireless communication solutions is enormous. For facility managers and property developers, for example, low power wireless technology is not only energy efficient, but also reduces cabling, saves installation time/cost, removes reliance upon batteries, eliminates maintenance and provides unlimited freedom/flexibility.
Self-powered wireless sensors and switches (powered by ambient energies such as solar, mechanical and thermal) provide what is described as unprecedented flexibility when designing, installing and maintaining energy-efficient buildings. The energy-harvesting technology is said to position Alliance members to be able to offer simple and cost-effective energy solutions to architects, contractors and building owners.
To further develop EnOcean technology, the Alliance will focus on formalizing the specifications for the interoperability of the sensor profiles for the wireless products operating in unlicensed frequency bands and subsequently ratify as an international standard.
"The EnOcean Alliance will provide significant advantages to members through the use of future-oriented maintenance-free wireless monitoring and control technology," commented Graham Martin, Founder of the EnOcean Alliance. "Building professionals benefit from unlimited flexibility by allowing selection of a broad base of interoperable products thus enabling simple, speedy and cost-attractive adaptation to changing requirements."
EnOcean, the inventor of self-powered wireless modules, develops battery-free control solutions that drawn energy from movement, light or even changes in temperature. This harvested energy is used for transmitting sensor data over a distance of up to 30 meters (indoors) to control lighting, blinds, heating or air conditioning without the need for cabling. In addition to its eco-friendliness, the technology is easily installed and maintenance-free, which is said to ensure unparalleled flexibility at the lowest investment and operational cost for sustainable buildings.
