Iain Gordon, Chair of the KNX UK association, explores how the platform has evolved and how its common language can provide major benefits to connected buildings
What does KNX UK do as an organisation?
In simple terms KNX is a language for controlling buildings. It’s an independent platform, where manufacturers of products can subscribe to the ideals of KNX and develop products which talk the KNX language. This means that you’ve currently got in excess of 500 companies who all produce products that talk one language.
These companies produce a range of products for other systems and scenarios, but by utilising KNX, they guarantee interoperability without additional gateways, so a product from one manufacturer will be guaranteed to talk KNX to another product without any additional reworking.
Can you offer a brief insight into the history of KNX?
KNX is manipulated with one software platform, which is controlled by the KNX Association in Brussels. This software is constantly developing, but any products developed and on the market since 1990 can still communicate with the technology of today and tomorrow – there is no such thing as legacy products which can’t be used at a later date.
The majority of the founding companies are from Germany and France, but over time, other companies from around the world have subscribed to this notion of sharing one system for building control.
What is your role at KNX?
I’m an electrical contractor by trade, so I was looking for a solution that I could train in and offer my clients for the long-term future. It was actually a business friend of mine who suggested I look into KNX in 2003. There was no training course based in the UK at that time, so I travelled to Germany, and have been deploying KNX solutions in my customer’s buildings ever since.
First and foremost, I use KNX to generate business. Secondly, though, I’m a true advocate for the technology. Ever since my introduction to the platform, it’s been a staple in my home. I was persuaded to join the board for the KNX UK Association by one of my suppliers, and within 18 months, I was heading up the association as President. We’ve recently, under my guidance, changed the title to Chair, just to feel a bit more British in our approach! I’d like to think I’m a mover and shaker in the KNX industry – a thought leader. My role as Chair provides me a slight annex from my normal day-to-day and allows me to work on projects which aren’t solely about me and my business.
Is the technology usable in all buildings?
KNX is usable in every type of housing application and it’s used extensively commercially. For most of the world, KNX is split at about 70% usage in commercial buildings, and 30% in residential.
There are some key buildings in the UK that utitlise KNX in order to achieve very strict criteria regarding energy usage. The Crystal building in London [now reopened as City Hall], which achieved BREEAM Outstanding, uses KNX as the glue that binds the building together, seamlessly working between each subsystem controlling the heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
There have been some key developments in the last 12 to 24 months in terms of KNX in the IoT sphere, which is being led by Brussels globally. The team recently held a conference in Silicon Valley, where developers of IoT products came along and explored how they could piggyback on to KNX, allowing their wireless product to sit within and take influence from the KNX ecosystem.
Another key development has been the use of AI to manage and manipulate energy data. For example, Octopus Energy publishes data every evening explaining when the cheapest rates are for buying data, and a KNX system will then be able to charge up batteries and EVs at the exact times when the energy is available at a lower cost.
What are your ambitions for the next five years?
While I appreciate the anxieties some people will have about the capabilities of AI, I also think there is great scope for its value within the building sector. The KNX association in Brussels is constantly developing the platform, so that as soon as a new technology becomes available, the interworking with KNX has been considered well in advance. Examples where this has already happened include with household names such as Alexa and Siri, where companies who were subscribed to the KNX ideology were forward-thinking enough to plan ahead and prepare.
I think the big benefit with KNX is the fact that the interworking structure is already in place for pretty much for anything, whether it’s AI or voice assistance.
What future trends do you think will have the biggest effect on the energy landscape?
At the moment, cost is the biggest complication when it comes to the energy landscape, certainly in the UK. However, I think you could argue that we waste a massive amount of energy on our own personal vanities. For example, with something as simple as a hair dryer, as an electrician, I see regularly how households require a huge demand on energy resources for just an everyday household appliance. I think it’s really important that as a society we consider what we actually need over what we can demand from the National Grid. I don’t expect energy prices will reduce in the near future. People will need to be persuaded to use less energy, and ultimately, the deciding factor will largely be linked to saving money.
What are your concerns about reaching net zero, and what makes you feel optimistic about the target?
I do have concerns about reaching net zero on a global level. A lot of the world have less developed industries and economies than in West, and you have to ask the question, why would these countries all of a sudden adopt the same environmental policies as us, when they’re trying to level the playing field in other ways?
In terms of what makes me feel optimistic, I think it’s the fact that we’re engaging in conversations about the challenges ahead on a regular basis. I still believe the UK is one of the most influential countries in terms of ideological thinking and in terms of the credibility of our engineering, which is shown by the creativity in our construction sector and in the expertise of our consultancy services. The proliferation of Scottish engineers designing buildings in Dubai, for instance, is incredibly high, and reflects our long history of engineering excellence. This has already paid dividends in terms of generating jobs and bringing in income for our professionals.
Our tradesmen are sought after on a day-to-day basis in order to implement changes and excellence across the planet, and I think my optimism comes from the fact that we have already and can continue to make change. Conversation and constant dialogue are crucial, as is showing that we can offer our engineering skillset globally to assist in transitioning to a more energy efficient world.
One of the most common critiques of KNX has been the cost; but I don’t think excellence comes for free, and to support the growth of the platform, it has to be appealing to manufacturers to develop products. To have people like myself still advocating for the technology years down the line is a testament to the amazing change that KNX can make, and how it can truly aid us in reaching net zero.
Who can become a KNX installer and what advantages are there for signing up?
Electricians are to my mind a key part of the KNX project, and should be the majority sector that is represented within the building control industry as a whole. These are professionals who are trained in installation safety and have a deep understanding of the regulation.
However, the door is also open to the audio-visual industry. Lighting controls is central to any good building control system and tends to be the most visible element to the average homeowner.
A big consideration now in building systems is shading control, and there was an important development to building regulations in the UK last year. Now, when designing a building, you have to either limit window space to prevent solar gain, or have a strategy to counteract it, which could be through solar reflective glass or with dynamic facades.
With KNX, however, the system can be set up to control and monopolise on winter solar gain while defeating summer solar gain. A KNX system takes advantage of these natural, seasonal cycles and changes to improve the lifestyle and comfort for those working and living in buildings dramatically, either storing up light energy or releasing it as fit. Expertise from working in the audio-visual industry would naturally connect with this feature.
Training is offered globally, and in the UK we have six dedicated centres which offer KNX training. Our training is also available to anyone, and there is no given category which an aspiring KNX user would need to fall into in order to train in KNX.
We provide all customers with the KNX software files for their homes and buildings – this is quite a rarity in the industry as many companies consider this sort of data as their own intellectual property and require consumers to come back to them directly if they encounter any further issues.
Finally, what is the aspect of KNX that you think is the most important, and what makes it stand out from competitors?
KNX is unique in that is a global open technology, which anyone can use to build a product. It’s not closed in any way, shape or form. There is a cost of entry, which is a couple of thousand pounds, for manufacturers who want to become a member company and buy the specification manual and tools. As I said before, engineering excellence shouldn’t be an area where corners are cut, and I think for the value that this investment brings to traders and companies, the cost of entry is comparatively low.
With open technology, there really are endless possibilities with what can be created, and no one is shut out of being a part of the process.
We’ve had a number of British manufacturers come on board with KNX over the last 18 months, and as an individual, I couldn’t be more excited. More and more people are realising that our open approach has huge benefits. If you can buy 500 different products from 500 different manufacturers and every single one of them would be guaranteed the ability to talk to each other, why wouldn’t you?
