Equip'hôtel 2012: An eco-innovative hotel room automated in 15 minutes

At the Equip'hôtel trade show, 19 renowned companies are joining forces to present a hotel room that combines comfort and innovation, fully automated to reduce its energy consumption.
After a check-in, visitors will be able to discover it from 11 to 15 November 2012, at Porte de Versailles (Paris), on the EnOcean Alliance stand (2 G50).

The EnOcean Alliance brings together, worldwide, more than 300 companies that manufacture or implement products and solutions using EnOcean's wireless communication technology. The latter requires neither cables nor batteries. The energy needed to transmit a radio signal is generated from movement (for example, opening a window), light or temperature differences.

The Alliance's companies offer innovative metering and home automation control solutions that reduce the energy bills of homes, offices, hotels and restaurants by controlling lighting, HVAC (air conditioning, ventilation, heating) and blinds. Another factor that lowers costs: precise management of equipment also extends its service life.

?In the hotel sector, guests do not necessarily have the right reflexes: switching off the air conditioning when the window is open, turning off the lights when leaving, etc. The energy bill, which easily reaches 400 euros per room per year, will increase further as prices rise, despite efforts on insulation,? says Emmanuel François, Head of France and Western Europe at EnOcean.

Hoteliers, who have to manage energy consumption and comply with new thermal regulations, face a problem: renovating rooms very often means lost revenue because of the works. EnOcean technology has the advantage of being wireless.

There is therefore no need to run cables. Presence detectors, window contacts, temperature sensors or thermostats, card readers and switches are simply positioned and stuck on. A room can be renovated in less time than a housekeeper needs to clean it!

Automation scenarios to reduce the energy bill by 40 to 60%

For the Equip'hôtel room, the members of the EnOcean Alliance have joined forces to present several automation scenarios that deliver energy savings of 40 to 60% while making implementation easier (no wires) and maintenance easier (no batteries).

Roller shutters, lighting, access control and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) are thus fully automated, seamlessly despite the diversity of players, thanks to the interoperability of the products. For example, opening a window switches off the heating, the lighting adjusts to the sun, the position of the blinds adapts automatically to weather conditions thanks to an outdoor brightness sensor, the room switches to standby when unoccupied, and so on. The control system acts on the equipment taking into account free natural gains, the establishment's comfort conditions, the weather, etc.

19 companies are joining forces to promote their technological innovations in situ in the EnOcean Alliance hotel room:

Thanks to new technologies, different worlds are coming together: the HVAC world and the electrical world. Hotels and restaurants are no longer dependent on a single manufacturer to ensure device compatibility.

The adoption, by world-renowned manufacturers, of EnOcean's communication technology based on the international standard ISO/IEC 14543-3-10 ensures interoperability.

• Wago manages the room's automation.

• Immotronic supplies its PlaceTouch supervisor, which controls the Wago system. It interfaces with the hotel's booking software. Heating can thus be programmed to start two hours before a guest arrives.

• Kieback & Peter equips the radiator with a thermostatic control valve that draws its energy from the temperature difference. The control module monitors the room temperature thanks to an integrated sensor.

• Thermokon handles the room's thermal management and offers a consumption metering system.

• Vimar fits the room with sockets from the Eikon range, as well as refined-design keys and controls to manage lighting, temperature, anti-intrusion systems, automation and the audio system.

• Honeywell Peha controls the room's lighting.

• Osram offers LED strips.

• Somfy provides centralized management of the solar shading.

• Hoppe shows door and window handles that communicate with the HVAC system.

• Biodit manages biometric access control, with fingerprint authentication.

• Trio2sys equips the room with indoor and outdoor temperature sensors as well as window contacts.

• IQfY supplies the bed mattress. Fitted with a presence sensor, it shows whether the person is up. This is particularly useful in hotel residences for elderly or dependent people, as the nurses' station automatically receives this information.

• Domoconsulting took charge of the overall architecture of the project.

• Vitec offers global distribution of the solution and provides technical support.

In addition to the EnOcean Alliance partner companies mentioned above, four other players in the sector will exhibit their new products:

• France Air: air conditioning system.

• Philips: LED lighting for the various areas of the room.

• Millet: windows and joinery contributing to temperature management.

• Serastone: an original modular partition solution enabling rooms to be renovated in no time.

• Acova, Zehnder group: radiant electric radiator and towel warmer.

?These solutions are not exclusively intended for the hotel sector but for any type of accommodation: student residences, retirement homes, hospitals, bungalows, etc. They are modular and can evolve over time.

One can thus start with a first step of coupling window opening with the HVAC system, then move on to a more comprehensive control system. They are especially relevant in renovation, avoiding heavy works (wall chasing, painting, etc.), but are also very popular in new builds. With EnOcean, the operator benefits from an open, modular and flexible system.

It is not tied to a single manufacturer!? concludes Emmanuel François.