A smart home today is far more than comfort and modern technology. It also offers the opportunity to use energy intelligently, conserve resources and actively contribute to climate protection. With our solutions, you can control heating, lighting, shading, cooling and energy flows efficiently – fully automated and always aligned with your daily routine. The result is a home that combines comfort, design and sustainability in an intelligent way.
The foundation of an energy-efficient KNX smart home is formed by our touch panels manufactured at the PEAKnx site in Darmstadt, the YOUVI visualisation software and the YOUVI Logic Module. Together, they provide intuitive control and help you save energy every single day – precisely where it would otherwise go unnoticed.
1. Energy efficiency with YOUVI und the logic module
Within our YOUVI visualisation, the logic module forms the heart of all automations that seamlessly combine energy savings with everyday comfort. It enables intelligent control of household routines and allows your home to respond to external conditions such as weather or occupancy. Just imagine: you leave the house in the morning – and only moments later the heating automatically reduces, the lighting gently adjusts to the time of day, and the blinds close as needed. Without giving it a second thought, your home follows your personal routines. And when you return in the evening, you are welcomed by a pleasant atmosphere, as if the house had been waiting for you.
Here are some examples of energy-optimised routines:
Automated heating control:
With the help of the logic module, heating schedules can be precisely aligned with your daily routine. When you leave the house, the system automatically lowers the room temperature. Shortly before you return, YOUVI restores a comfortable warmth. Reducing the temperature by just one degree during your absence can save up to six per cent of heating energy – without compromising comfort.
Open-window detection:
If the system registers an open window, the heating in that room immediately switches to eco mode, preventing valuable heat from escaping. It’s not only clever but consistently energy-efficient: while you are airing the room, no unnecessary heating energy is used. The system reacts automatically and restores the original room temperature only once the window is closed. This way, you save energy without having to think about it at all.
Room-by-room heating control:
Individually configured profiles allow you to tailor the indoor climate precisely to each room – cooler in the bedroom, warmer in the bathroom and pleasantly warm in the living area. Depending on the settings, this not only saves energy but also enhances overall wellbeing.
For personalised and intuitive control, the PEAKnx family of touch panels is at your disposal:
- Controlmicro – compact and space-saving
- Control 12 – the versatile all-round panel
- Control 16 – an elegant centrepiece for building control
- Controlpro – a large-format solution offering maximum overview
Together, these touch panels form the central hub of an energy-efficient KNX smart home.
2. Intelligent lighting control – creating a comfortable atmosphere with lower energy use
As lighting is one of the largest electricity consumers in the home, smart control becomes all the more worthwhile. YOUVI allows you to create customised lighting scenes that activate automatically depending on the time of day, brightness levels or occupancy.
- Time-based dimming: In the morning the lighting starts softly before gradually brightening; in the evening it dims to create atmosphere while saving energy – all fully automated.
- Occupancy-based control: Presence detectors ensure that lights are only switched on where they are genuinely needed and where someone is actually present.
- Daylight sensors: When there is sufficient natural light, the system dims or switches off the indoor lighting accordingly.
- Outdoor lighting: At dusk, the lights switch on automatically and turn off again at a set time during the night. The same applies in the early morning – helping to prevent unnecessary lighting.
The result is pleasant, meaningful and energy-efficient lighting without the need for any manual intervention.
3. Shading and climate control: smart protection against heat and cold
Intelligent shading control makes a significant contribution to energy efficiency. In summer, automatically controlled blinds and shutters prevent rooms from overheating; in winter, they help retain warmth for longer.
YOUVI can take weather data, temperature readings and the position of the sun into account to adjust the shading accordingly.
Air-conditioning systems can also be integrated into the setup, for example via the Aidoo KNX or Aidoo Pro gateways. These make it possible to connect air-conditioning units from various manufacturers to the KNX system. Combined with window contacts, temperature sensors or time-based schedules, cooling can be managed according to demand and in an energy-efficient way.
For those using a centralised climate control system, the YOUVI Airzone bridge enables precise regulation of individual temperature zones and helps reduce energy consumption. YOUVI also prevents heating and cooling from operating at the same time.
Further information is available in our overview of KNX climate gateway products.
4. Using solar energy intelligently – integrating your PV system and visualising energy flows
An energy-efficient smart home not only uses energy but also produces it. With YOUVI, a photovoltaic system can be integrated into your home control with ease. On the touch panel, you can monitor in real time how much electricity your system is currently generating, how high your self-consumption rate is and when excess energy is being fed back into the grid.
To integrate different systems, PEAKnx offers a range of bridges:
YOUVI Fronius Bridge
With the YOUVI Fronius Bridge for the YOUVI Basic software package, you always have a clear overview of your energy supply. At a glance, you can see how much electricity your PV system generates, whether you're drawing power from the grid or if your home is self-sufficient.
YOUVI SolarEdge Bridge
With the SolarEdge bridge for YOUVI Basic, you can monitor the energy flows in your home at all times. See immediately whether you’re using electricity autonomously, drawing from the grid, how much energy your photovoltaic system is currently producing, or if your electric vehicle is charging.
YOUVI neoom Bridge
With the YOUVI neoom Bridge (formerly Ntuity Bridge) for the YOUVI Basic software package, you can keep track of the power flows in your home. See at a glance whether you are currently consuming electricity autonomously or drawing power from the grid, how much your photovoltaic system is producing or whether the car is being charged at the moment.
These bridges enable direct communication between YOUVI and the respective manufacturers’ inverters. This allows energy flows to be visualised and automated within the system. A simple automation using YOUVI and the logic module could be: „If the PV output exceeds 2 kW, start charging the electric vehicle.“
By increasing self-consumption and using solar power more effectively, electricity costs can be reduced in the long term.
The KNX-Modbus-Gateway TCP secure can also be used to integrate Modbus-TCP devices – such as PV inverters, heat pumps or heating systems – into the KNX environment. This creates a holistic energy management system is created in which energy consumers and producers are perfectly coordinated.
Operation is remarkably straightforward: the gateway is integrated into the ETS project in just a few steps, after which the Modbus data points – for example from a heat pump, inverter or battery storage system – appear directly within the KNX system. This offers several advantages: users gain a central overview of all energy flows, can align consumption and generation more effectively and set up automations that increase self-consumption. So if you want not only to control your building technology but also to understand it better, the KNX Modbus gateway provides the ideal link between convenience and efficiency.
5. Practical tips for saving energy with PEAKnx
As shown above, an energy-efficient KNX smart home offers numerous ways to save energy or use it more intelligently. The following measures will help you achieve the greatest long-term impact:
Conclusion: Comfort meets sustainability
With our products, energy saving becomes an integral part of everyday life in your smart home – automated, convenient and efficient. The building control system anticipates your needs and helps you use energy wisely while reducing long-term costs.
Whether heating, lighting, shading, air conditioning or your PV system – each element is connected in a way that allows you to benefit from their combined strengths. Automated shading reduces cooling demand, an adapted heating strategy follows your daily routine, and the visualisation shows you exactly where energy is being generated or consumed.
The result is a sustainable home with lower energy consumption, increased self-use of solar power and greater living comfort – along with a lifestyle that truly pays off in the long term. This not only delivers efficiency but also a sense of satisfaction: those who manage their home this intelligently can justifiably feel proud of this approach to sustainable living. It is reassuring to know that comfort and responsibility need not contradict each other. Every kilowatt saved and every automated routine demonstrates how modern technology and sustainable action can work together in harmony, creating a system that keeps your home ready for the future..
Discover how our products can make your home smarter, more comfortable and more energy-efficient.
