News

Iridian builds show home to showcase ABB's domestic control technology (6/8/2007)

ABB's EIB/KNX smart controls are at the heart of a new intelligent show home recently completed by automated system installer Iridian Limited trading as Automation Electrical Services. Based in County Durham, Iridian uses ABB's system to control a variety of environmental functions for various rooms around the show home.

Built by Iridian to demonstrate the potential of smart control technology, the show home uses ABB's system to control curtains, heating, lighting and audio-visual equipment in the kitchen, living room and bedroom areas. Linked into ABB's EIB/KNX controller, all these elements can be controlled automatically or by visitors using the room switches or remote control facility.

Paul Summerbell, Managing Director of Iridian, believes that developing the show home was the best way of convincing clients to have such controls installed. "It was proving difficult to explain to our customers exactly what smart controls could really do. In one case, we had several meetings with a client, but he couldn't appreciate the full capabilities of the system. We had been building the show home in the meantime, and once it was finished he came to view it. What he saw convinced him straightaway."

One of the objectives of the home was to underline the new possibilities in lighting control: "With the current focus on saving energy we made sure that all lights were energy efficient. By using LED lights, we can further reduce the amount of power used. The EIB/KNX system enabled us to set these lights to strengthen or dim according to the time of day", explained Summerbell.

To achieve EIB/KNX-approved installer status, Iridian had to undergo extensive training and testing at a KNX centre. As such they are amongst a small group of companies in the UK that are certified to install the EIB/KNX control system.

Around 40m2 of space was used for the show home, with Iridian investing £55,000 into its development. Summerbell feels that it has had a major impact on its sales: "Everybody who comes to see it has gone away wanting smart controls!

We want to focus on attracting building developers, but essentially anyone can see it. It's the best way of demonstrating what ABB's EIB/KNX system can do."

Summerbell has found that ABB's control system provides a number of benefits compared to similar systems from other manufacturers, including the level of integration it provides. "The advantages of using the EIB/KNX system is its open structure, which has let us incorporate dedicated systems such as AV into it. This has given our customers much greater choice when choosing individual elements such as AV or light switches.

We also think it's a lot more reliable than other systems available. So far we have not experienced a single failure", explains Summerbell.

ABB's controls enable the core elements of lighting and heating to be adjusted and set both manually and automatically. As well as decentralised control, users can also control room functions from a central point, enabling them to switch all lights in a house either on or off from one room, for example.

In addition to the lighting and heating controls, ABB's controls also regulate opening and closing of blinds in the kitchen according to the amount of natural light required. Further controls are also provided for the kitchen furniture, including lighting under the cupboards and the cooker hood. Incorporated into the tiles on the kitchen floor are LED lights, which can be adjusted to achieve different visual effects.

The living room has been set up to look like a standard living space. Once a button is pressed, the lighting can be dimmed and curtains closed while a plasma TV descends from the ceiling. All these elements change the show living room into an audio-visual interactive environment.

In the bedroom, ABB's controls are used to alter the mood of the room by changing the colour of the lighting. Curtains can also be controlled, so that they can be opened or closed remotely.

Iridian was formed over nine years ago, originally focusing on industrial automation installations. Two years ago, the company identified an opportunity in the market to conduct intelligent home installations and decided to apply its skills to the domestic sector.

Summerbell feels that the combination of Iridian's KNX accreditation, the show home and its experience with automation technologies will help the company stand out in a growing market, where there is a demand for engineers skilled at installing intelligent building controls.

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