Efficient and Comprehensive Energy Management
The focus is on recording and visualizing all energy consumers, producers and consumers in the building. In order for all energy flows to be visualized and optimized, a building needs a central control: the Loxone Miniserver. This connects all (energy) components of a building and ensures that they work as efficiently as possible both individually and together.
Step-by-Step Guide to True Energy Efficiency with Loxone
1. Recording and visualising all energy flows:
2. Reducing basic power consumption:
Loxone can be used to find ways to reduce the base load, for example by automatically switching off unnecessary consumers. Potential energy leaks are also uncovered. Common energy wasters include air conditioning or ventilation systems that run at high levels even when no one is in the building.
Reducing the base load results in immediate cost savings. The permanent consumption of one watt costs around $3 per year. While this may sound small, it adds up quickly in a home or business with numerous devices. Additionally, the base load reduction helps reduce the carbon footprint and extends the lifespan of the devices.
3. Shifting energy consumption:
With Loxone’s unique software, energy consumption can be shifted to times when energy is cheaper or even free – especially when solar energy is available.
Basics of Efficient Energy Management
Our software makes all the difference
Loxone is often perceived as a hardware manufacturer – but our hardware products are just the tip of the iceberg. First and foremost, we create software. After all, 85% of our entire development effort goes into our software tools.
Only our exceptional free software can create a state-of-the-art, holistic energy management system with outstanding performance that makes significant energy saving possible.
Energy Flow Monitor Function Block
The Energy Flow Monitor displays an overall view of the energy flow in a building. It visualises consumers, producers, storage units and the grid in the Loxone App.
Energy Manager Function Block
The Energy Manager Function Block distributes excess energy in the most efficient way through automation and, consequently, the onus is no longer on the user to consciously change their behaviour.
Load Manager Function Block
This Function Block monitors the current loads in a building via 15-minute intervals and protects against overload.
Spot Price Optimiser
The Spot Price Optimiser function block is used to activate a load in hours when the energy price on the spot market is the lowest.
Meter Function Blocks
Meter values form the basis of every energy management system. With our Meter Function Blocks, all energy flows are consistently monitored and recorded.
Why Is an Integrated Building Energy Management System Important?
The intelligent distribution of energy depends on production, demand, prioritization, attendance and much more. If there is excess energy, consumers can be intelligently activated to increase their own consumption, thus use solar power efficiently. It can also be specified that the electric car is charged during high energy production or at times when the energy price is particularly low.
Inverter
An inverter, when integrated into an intelligent building energy management system, enables you to monitor energy production and converts solar power to electricity for self-consumption. Loxone’s home and building automation system optimizes the use of the generated electricity based on energy consumption data by either supplying consumers with solar power or selling the surplus to the grid.
Battery Storage
The Loxone energy management system adjusts when the integrated battery storage should be charged or exported depending on the level of energy production, the amount of power consumed across the building and the price of electricity at the time. This enables the efficient management of self-generated energy and reduces dependence on the electricity grid for day-to-day building operations.
Wallbox
Loxone shifts the charging times of your electric car so itโs charged during periods of high or adequate energy production (for example on a sunny day when the sky is clear) or when the cost of electricity is the lowest. Due to the flexibility and openness of the Loxone building energy management system and its interfaces, it supports various wallbox manufacturers and the Loxone Wallbox.
Energy Efficiency and Indoor Climate: Optimized HVAC by Loxone
Buffer Tank, Water Heating Element and Boiler
By integrating it into your building energy management system, the buffer cylinder can optimize energy consumption and maximize the use of renewable energy. The heating element plays an important role as a backup heat source, while the boiler receives instructions directly from the Loxone system on whether it needs to switch on or off and how to regulate the flow temperature. Optimizing all 3 compoments as parts of the same heating system will achieve better energy efficiency than standalone solutions working together.
Heat Pump
A heat pump integrated into a Loxone energy management system can be optimized via the most energy-efficient controls that operate based on various factors – outdoor or individual room temperature and the availability of cheaper dynamic tariffs, for example. In addition, Loxoneโs forecast-based heating controls help with planning schedules based on weather data to ensure high energy efficiency and minimize operating costs – by only heating rooms when the temperature outside drops below 50ยฐFย for example.
Air Conditioning
The energy efficiency of air conditioning systems can be increased by integrating them into the building energy management system. Prediction-based controls, for example, can be configured to activate the air conditioning unit based on weather forecasts and user behaviour. What’s more, presence-based operation with Loxone maximizes user comfort, energy efficiency and cost savings all at the same time.
Ventilation
The Loxone system decides when and how intensely to ventilate an area based on various parameters such as room temperature, humidity and CO2 levels. This not only ensures optimal air quality, but also minimizes energy loss by reducing unnecessary ventilation. Presence detection enables demand-oriented control of the ventilation system to achieve even more energy efficiency.
Holistic Energy Management with Intelligent Lighting and Audio
A holistic energy management system oversees the individual and the combined operation and performance of all smart components in an intelligent building. This includes lighting and multiroom audio.
Due to the reliable detection of presence and movement, the Loxone Presence Sensors form the basis for the automation of these important functions. Operating the lights and the music only at times and in rooms where people are present will optimize energy usage – no power will be wasted where it’s not needed, whether it’s an office with multiple meeting rooms or a smart home with no one working from home during the day.
Find out more about optimizing the energy performance of intelligent lighting and multiroom audio with the Loxone BeMS.
Opportunities Beyond the Obvious:
Renewable Energy Certificates
RECs help assign ownership and track the unique characteristics of renewable electricity generation and usage. They provide individuals and organizations with the opportunity to support renewable energy and reduce their carbon footprint.
One of our U.S. Loxone Partners utilizes large biomass boilers in multiple locations to generate energy and sell the RECs they produce thanks to Loxoneโs seamless connection to Modbus (templates) and comprehensive statistical capabilities.
Find out more about harnessing the power of renewable energy certificates and how to get the most out of your business’s energy management.
Products for an Efficient Building Energy Management System
In addition to the unique software, you don’t need a lot of hardware to operate truly efficient energy management.
Miniserver
The Miniserver connects all energy components of a building and ensures that they operate in the most efficient way.
M-Bus Extension
With the M-Bus extension, you can integrate the leading interface standard for electricity, heat, gas and water meters via Plug & Play.
Modbus Air
With the Modbus Air, you can wirelessly integrate devices with Modbus RTU interface – energy meters, wallboxes, heat pumps and more – into any Loxone installation.
AC Control Air
Integrate and optimise air conditioning systems from leading manufacturers with the AC Control Air to reduce their energy consumption of your intelligent building.
Power Supply & Backup
The seven 24V outputs provide enough power to reliably supply all components in the cabinet and the peripheral devices in your Loxone instillation – even during a power failure.
Touch Pure CO2
With its integrated CO2 sensor, this switch monitors all the essential measurements necessary to help optimise indoor climate.
Belimo Tree & Air
The native MP-Bus integration, combined with the know-how of Loxone Partners, makes adding Belimo devices to a Loxone installation easier than ever before.
Weather Station
The precise data from the Weather Station – shared via the Loxone Weather Service – supports the intelligent automation of smart blinds, irrigation, storm protection and more.
Valve Actuator
The Loxone Valve Actuator is perfect for intelligent temperature control on a room-by-room basis, helping to optimise energy usage for zoned heating systems.
Room Comfort Sensor
This indoor climate sensor precisely measures temperature, humidity and CO2 (Tree) or temperature and humidity (Air).
Modbus Energy Meter
This single-phase or 3-phase energy meter with Modbus interface provides accurate data to support the efficient use of resources to help save energy.
These energy facts
speak for themselves
25% reduction in heating and cooling costs in a 10,000 square foot office, 14,000 kWh energy savings in a Berkshire home – all this and more is possible with intelligent building automation from Loxone. Whether offices and business premises, private smart homes, residential buildings, hotels and restaurants or special applications, the Loxone BeMS will maximise energy efficiency to help save costs without compromising on convenience and comfort.
The smartest building in Europe
The Loxone Campus is probably the most intelligent building in Europe. It combines a hotel, restaurant, seminar centre, event location, office, warehouse, wellness centre; showcasing a world of experience for home and building automation. Every area in the Campus requires energy, and with Loxone, a comprehensive energy management system can be achieved even in a building this large using just a few smart components and the strategic optimisation of their performance based on data.
Restaurant of a global franchise brand
The energy saved of 14,000 kWh per month is offset by a return on investment of less than a month for Loxone technology. If you extrapolate the savings from this branch to the chain’s almost 40,000 restaurants, there is an impressive savings potential of 560 million kWh per month. At a average U.S. electricity price of $0.17 per kWh, this corresponds to monthly savings of over $95.2 million. From a sustainability perspective, thatโs 229,320 tons of CO2 saved โ per month!
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