One differentiates between the regulation of the boiler and the control of the radiators in the individual rooms in the heating area. While the boiler is always required to produce and provide enough warm water for the radiators, the individual room control always gets as much heated water as is necessary for the temperature control of the room. Optimal for the energy input and our wallet would be if only as much heat would be produced, as also on the radiators or the underfloor heating is needed
Self-heating
The reality in most apartments and houses, however, looks different. Thermostatic valves are installed on the radiators, which throughout the day try to maintain the mechanically preset temperature by opening and closing. Even if the room is not used by the children, because the children are at school in the morning, on the day of the service on the sports day, and on the evening on the guitar lessons on the Thursday evening.
Automatically optimal climate
With a very advanced programmable system, it is possible to preset the time heating profile over a week. The nursery is therefore less heated in the mornings and has to be cuddly once the children are back from school. And when the time for the music breaks down, the children 's room is cold until someone comes in, who is familiar with it and corrects it. Holidays and birthday parties usually do not know such a system.
No cables and batteries needed
A self-learning system remembers the user behavior in the room and independently creates the profile. It avoids typical lay errors. Contrary to popular opinion one saves not necessarily, if one absent in the day the radiator simply off. Depending on the weather, the room cools down so far that the so-called dew point is reached. This means that a lot of energy has to be spent to return to the well-being temperature zone. It is then even likely that more energy must be used for the reheating than was saved by the shutdown. En: key knows this and acts accordingly
Rules and initial experiences
The en: key system consists of two different components per room: the room sensor and the radiator actuator, also called the valve controller. Both components communicate via radio. The internationally standard EnOcean standard is used.
EnOcean is characterized by the fact that sensors - in our example the temperature sensor in the room - do not need batteries. Its electrical energy is extracted from the sensor of the environment using photocells. That folds reliably, because unlike many other photo cells, he can even use artificial light. And thanks to generous rechargeable batteries, he can handle several dark days and nights.
An infrared sensor is located on the room unit, which detects when people are in the room. It registers the presence and thus creates a usage profile of the room. It also measures the temperature and learns the properties of the room - for example, how long it takes to heat from 17 to 21 degrees Celsius. This time is taken into account because the user wants to enter a warm room.
The location of the room sensor should be carefully chosen. The temperature prevailing at the installation site should be typical for the particular room. A place above a fireplace or in the heat cone of a luminaire would not be suitable, and direct drafts are not good for accurate measurements.
The display, which is installed in the room sensor, displays the essential information: comfort or light operation, presence and time. A presence button is used to manually override the automatic mode when it is necessary.
An en: key room sensor can communicate with up to four radiators with en: key valve regulators. Together, they optimize the heat distribution. If the valve controller receives the "light operation" command from the room sensor, this reduces the room temperature by four degrees. According to a rule of thumb, the reduction by one degree should bring an energy saving of six percent.
The smart radiator valve has a rotary head with a scale from 1 to 5. As used by other thermostats, the user sets the desired comfort temperature for the room. The valve controller now regulates the room temperature so that the comfort temperature is reached whenever a person is in the room. The user profile knows when the user enters the room with high security, and opens the valve in time.
Actuators normally switch electrical loads and remove their operating voltage from the power grid. However, the radiator valve does not carry any current. What now? Lay cable? That would be cumbersome. The engineers of Kieback & Peter have remembered the Peltier element familiar for decades.
Peltier elements produce a voltage when a different temperature prevails on both sides. And this is the case here: the boiler warms water and sends it to the radiator. This so-called flow is hot, the ambient air compared to it cool. This temperature difference is sufficient to generate the current that is needed to operate the radiator valve. Ingeniously simple, and without batteries as environmentally friendly and maintenance-free.
Conclusion
Download: Profile: en: key of Kieback & Peter
This makes en: key ideal for retrofitting. And even laymen can install it: you only need a water pump. The old, conventional radiator valve is loosened with the forceps and removed by hand. Then put the new en: key actuator on, screw it with the hand and tighten it with the forceps. It is not necessary to modernize the entire apartment. A room-by-room installation is possible. Each room is self-sufficient.
The en: key system follows certain rules. Thus, a space scan is performed every five minutes and a room evaluation every 15 minutes. The brightness is measured. It distinguishes between much, little and no movement in space, and also defines open windows and shortness. As a profile, it distinguishes between "normal", "vacation", "shift work", "vacation" and "party".
Initial experience with the system shows that savings of around 20 percent are realistic. You can save money on school rooms and offices. At school, the system determines the real utilization plan of a classroom and lowers the temperature accordingly. The same is true for offices in the administration.
With en: key, Kieback & Peter offers a very innovative and easy-to-handle system, which can be used to save heating energy, carbon dioxide and costs without compromising comfort. It is particularly suitable for simple retrofitting in old buildings and rented apartments.
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