Topics

Fresh air through indoor climate control

Modern man spends about two thirds of his life indoors. It is clear that the quality of the indoor air has a great influence on our well-being. To ensure good air quality and a pleasant indoor climate at all times, buildings are increasingly being equipped with intelligent indoor climate control systems – for greater comfort and better energy efficiency.

Good indoor air and thermal comfort

Since we all perceive our environment differently, there can be no one measure and definition of well-being’. However, it is possible to create room conditions in which most people feel good. Air quality and thermal comfort must be taken into account when planning buildings. Meaning: the CO2 content, the temperature, the humidity and the air movement in the room.

The technology here is already well advanced: The indoor climate can be monitored and optimised with sensors and individually selectable settings. The objectives are both the well-being of the room users and the minimisation of the energy used for this purpose. So well-being and energy saving in automated form: when the room is occupied, the comfort of its users drives how the climate is controlled; when it is not in use, energy efficiency is at the forefront. Further advantages are the protection of the building stock and the fabric of the building because damage caused by penetrating rainwater or mould caused by excessive humidity is avoided.

Touch panels enable operation via a display.

Touch panels enable operation via a display. © GEZE GmbH

Control via sensors for greater air comfort

Sensors measure indoor air quality on the inside and solar radiation, precipitation, wind speed and temperature on the outside. Heating, cooling, solar protection equipment and automated windows are then controlled on the basis of this sensor data, The CO2 concentration is the most important indicator for the quality of indoor air. The CO2 content of the indoor air increases with the number of people and duration of their stay as well as the intensity of their physical activities. The higher the CO2 load in the room, the more fresh air the controller demands.

Room controllers, often also with touch displays, serve as operating units in the individual rooms. They are the user interface to the building, i.e. the users can select the room temperature themselves. Cooling through the air-conditioning system and the fresh air supply through automated windows are coordinated.

Indoor climate control in a gymnasium with natural ventilation

Indoor climate control in a gymnasium with natural ventilation

Time-controlled room ventilation and scenarios selectable

The indoor climate control also enables time-controlled comfort functions such as the automatic opening and closing of windows, shutters or blinds at certain times of the day. For example, intensive ventilation, the so-called fresh air flushing, can take place before the first employees arrive. In summer, the ‘night-time back cooling’ function uses cool night-time and early morning air to cool the rooms naturally and thus save energy costs for cooling.

In addition, different scenarios or different energy levels can be selected for each room, such as comfort, standby, economy (night reduction) or building protection. The scenarios can be switched via time programs, presence detection or manual operating buttons. Further possible scenarios with optimum values for lighting, ventilation and sun protection can be selected in addition, e.g. meetings, presentations or office work.

Communication via building buses or radio

Different bus systems (e.g. KNX or BACnet) are available to enable reliable communication between actuators and sensors. Wireless extensions (including ZigBee, Z-Wave, EnOcean or KNX-RF) are also used. These enable buildings to be automated retrospectively, without the need for complex cabling.

Characteristics of an indoor climate control system

GEZE ventilation and indoor climate control

The GEZE indoor climate control system for controlled natural and energy-saving ventilation complements the GEZE window drive and RWA programme. The RWA systems can also be extended by sensors and control elements and can be integrated into building management systems.

Via the IQ box KNX interface module, GEZE enables the simple integration of automated window drives in KNX environments – for intelligent interaction of window drives and sensors. Other KNX-capable systems and drives or building technology components, such as solar protection systems, heating controls or air conditioning, can also be linked to the GEZE indoor climate control.

GEZE offers numerous possibilities for the automation of indoor climate components. Our fully automatic control is project-specific, extremely flexible and easy to expand.

Sven Kuntschmann, window technology segment manager

With the IO 420 interface module, all GEZE system components become ‘networkers’. Automatic door systems, ventilation technology and smoke and heat extraction systems (RWA) as well as safety systems can be integrated into the higher-ranking building management system via BACnet in order to automate their functions. GEZE thus makes a contribution to the Smart Building through intelligent building networking.

Since the demands on indoor climate control and sophisticated ventilation controls are very different, these solutions are individually planned depending on the building project. The GEZE Customer Solution Team is happy to help with concept and planning.

The GEZE range of services and products for indoor climate control

  • Drive systems for aeration and ventilation
  • Ventilation solutions: simple open/closed control of individual windows or groups of windows through to comprehensive central controls
  • Comfort solutions for automatic ventilation depending on weather, temperature and air quality
  • Simple radio-based solutions for individual rooms up to comfortable room/building control systems controllable via a modern touch display
  • Intelligent RWA control units also enable ventilation functions

Go to the GEZE IQ box KNX interface module

Go to the GEZE MBZ 300 N24 emergency power control unit

Go to the GEZE Slimchain universal chain drive

System example: gymnasium with RWA and indoor climate control

Diagram of indoor climate control in a sports hall

Diagram of indoor climate control in a sports hall © Elsner Elektronik GmbH / GEZE GmbH

A building with various rooms serves as an example: gymnasium, entrance area, technology room, locker rooms and shower rooms.

Product video

GEZE Powerchain chain drive for automatic room ventilation

Sophisticated solutions from a single source

GEZE indoor climate controls are customer-specific applications consisting of combined RWA and ventilation systems. With Customer Solutions from GEZE, you benefit from sophisticated, individual solutions that offer the best possible safety and convenience. And all this from a single source. Your contact person will answer all your questions, from the initial idea right up to the commissioning.

  • Natural automatic ventilation has a very high acceptance among end users, especially if they can intervene manually (e.g. by local ventilation buttons).
  • A ventilation concept based on natural ventilation minimises or avoids the planning of ventilation shafts in the building. Compared to mechanical ventilation, no additional ventilation openings are necessary in the façade and thus do not influence the architectural design of the façade.
  • low-noise operation (no fan noises)
  • lower investment, installation and maintenance costs than mechanical ventilation systems
  • Consultation-friendly, reliable planning, scalable:
    with the compact drive control modules, various ventilation concepts (individual, group, central controls) can be easily planned and scaled.

Installation, commissioning and operation made easy

We offer simple assembly and commissioning, e.g. by circuit diagram and description on individual drive controls. This reduces sources of error and ensures speedy connection. The scalability of the control allows maximum flexibility and the spare parts can be stored in the service vehicle as only a few control types are in use.

Comfort and freedom

GEZE is your partner at every stage of your planning. From the first consultation, through to installation and after-sales service. Thanks to our industry know-how, we are able to recommend individual property solutions quickly, as the approaches here are usually very similar.

GEZE indoor climate control systems promise:


Comfort

  • automatic ventilation and manual intervention possible
  • intuitive central control via a modern touch display or simply via local push buttons (depending on the solution)


Freedom

  • ‘real’ fresh air
  • manual intervention via push button