Automatic sun protection control contributes significantly to the passive cooling of a building, making it an important part of building energy management.
The Minergie-certified sun protection module from Wiser by Feller goes far beyond smart home solutions, as its Minergie certification integrates intelligent shading into a Swiss standard for energy-efficient and comfortable construction.
In the following article, we explain the advantages of passive cooling through automatic sun protection control with Wiser by Feller in conjunction with the Amika control unit.
THE ESSENTIALS IN BRIEF:
Passive cooling avoids active and energy-intensive refrigeration, instead utilizing natural physical measures such as shading with blinds.
Automatic sun protection control allows blinds to be managed even in absence, while manual control remains possible.
The automatic sun protection control from Wiser by Feller, coupled with Smart Home Swiss’s Amika control panel, extends far beyond smart home blind control thanks to its Minergie certification, as it is part of building automation energy management.
In contrast to active cooling, refrigeration in passive cooling is not achieved through energy-intensive active processes. Rather, passive cooling typically occurs due to natural physical processes, such as heat conduction or, for example, shading with blinds.
Building cooling is the fastest-growing segment in the energy sector. This is particularly problematic for low-energy houses, which save energy in winter but then waste that saved energy on cooling in summer. Therefore, it is even more crucial to implement energy-saving measures for passive cooling.
Shading alone with sun protection – such as blinds – can lower the room temperature by 5 to 10 degrees. According to the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the cooling demand in the European Union could be reduced by 50 percent through the consistent use of sun protection.
Instead of cooling down overheated rooms with air conditioning, the more energy-efficient option is to reduce heat gain at the facade through building automation, specifically via automatic sun protection control, such as lowering blinds. This is because the most economical cooling energy is that which is not needed in the first place.
Specifically, modern buildings are characterized by their large – sometimes floor-to-ceiling – window areas. The heat gain is proportionally greater when the sun shines on these windows. For a long time, blinds have been lowered in such cases to reduce heat gain. However, this becomes problematic, especially when one is not at home to do so.
However, keeping the blinds permanently closed during absence is not necessarily the best solution, as it leaves houseplants and pets in darkness during the day, for example. Furthermore, burglars might interpret closed blinds after a change in weather to a cloudy sky as an indication that no one is home.
The solution: Automatic sun protection control instead of permanently closed blinds. With automatic sun protection control, such as from Wiser by Feller, the blinds are automatically lowered when solar radiation is too high, which provides passive cooling as the rooms do not heat up as much thanks to the blinds. Wiser by Feller accesses data from the Wiser weather station for measuring solar radiation, which is installed on the house facade or on a mast.
If solar radiation decreases, for example due to clouds or sunset, the blinds are automatically raised again. This prevents unnecessary loss of daylight indoors, which benefits not only residents when they are home, but also pets and plants.
The advantage of automatic sun protection control is that it largely operates in the background. This is particularly convenient for residents, as they do not have to manually raise or lower the blinds with every change in weather or via a switch.
It is also convenient that automatic sun protection control functions even in one’s absence, allowing one to benefit from passive cooling upon returning home.
However, there may be situations, especially when present, where one wishes to control the blinds manually, for example, to let full daylight into the apartment at a specific moment or perhaps to enjoy the view despite increased heat gain due to sunshine. In these cases, when the Wiser by Feller system is coupled with the Amika control panel, manual control of the blinds is possible. Alternatively, this can be done from a mobile phone using the “SmartHome Remote App”.
However, the sun protection control from Wiser by Feller, coupled with Amika from Smart Home Swiss, goes – as we have seen above – far beyond smart home blind control, as it makes a significant contribution to energy management within building automation.
It is not without reason that the Wiser by Feller sun protection control has received Minergie certification, which is why it is also called the “Minergie Module Sun Protection Control”. Minergie certification signifies that the sun protection offers high comfort, is energy-efficient, and makes an active contribution to climate protection.
Minergie certification is particularly important for planners, architects, and electrical specialists, as sun protection within building automation is an increasingly significant part of the overall energy concept.
Smart Home Swiss SA would be pleased to advise you on automatic sun protection control, for example, in the context of a residential development.
The best way to reach the sun protection experts at Smart Home Swiss is via the contact form:
We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Simple electric blinds are controlled manually, for example, via a switch. In contrast, automatic sun protection control reacts automatically to signals from sensors or based on weather data. Factors that can influence the automatic control of sun protection include temperature, radiation intensity, light intensity, and sun position.
Passive cooling refers to measures that do not require energy-intensive active refrigeration, but instead provide cooling through preventive mechanical measures, as is the case with blinds.
Passive cooling through window shading can achieve a reduction in room temperature of 5 to 10 degrees.
Yes, with the Amika smart home control unit or the “SmartHome Remote App” on your mobile phone, you can also operate the sun protection manually.
Minergie Module Sun Protection means that it is a sun protection system with Minergie certification, i.e., a sun protection system offering high comfort, energy efficiency, and an active contribution to climate protection.
