Self-builders are at the forefront of some of the most cutting edge building techniques. They now need to lead the way in quality building automation and control solutions, says Paul Foulkes of Theben Automation

Remaining in control is important. Not having to worry about if something is being done engenders a sense of security: knowing your car will start, knowing the fridge is working, knowing your boiler is supplying heat and hot water. 

If these things are interrupted, or fail to happen, then the consequences can be challenging, possibly dangerous, maybe even fatal.

In aircraft, for example, there are multiple redundant control systems with failsafes. For commercial buildings that isn’t cost effective, and it’s definitely not in the residential self-build market sector. For buildings, the solution must be able to withstand challenging installation conditions and be capable of supporting constant high levels of usage.

This is an age when no building owner can risk having their building control systems compromised, so security is vital to maintain, reducing risks ranging from local infiltration up to sophisticated DNS type IP attacks.

This all means that systems that are installed in buildings should be dependable, robust and secure. It is an accepted strategy, and makes sound commercial sense, to upgrade systems, to keep them functional and fit for purpose. Commercial installations are high cost and are organised to assess and mitigate these risks. 

At residential level, the way that building automation is carried out needs to be very different, however.

For some time in the residential market, there has been a reliance on internet and wifi-based products. This has been driven by the well-known manufacturers seeing the value in this market. Their business plans are based around the consumer replacing their hardware every three years. The evolving nature of this market can become further complicated by ever changing wifi standards, the promise of ever faster mobile networks that will displace the home wifi network, and a lack of standardisation. 

Updates and upgrades are commonplace, but this can have its downside too. Eventually the hardware is no longer capable of running the new software; it becomes obsolete. That cost of obsolescence is directly passed on to the consumer.

Security has been cited by some manufacturers as the reason to remove some systems from the market. Sadly, as some systems are cloud based, all functionality can be lost. The paying consumer is left with non-functioning hardware and needing to pay again for a solution. This can leave a bitter taste in the mouth of the consumer.

There is also the question over the reliability of the internet, specifically the wifi router. Often it is unsecure and can be very low quality. In the case of cloud-based solutions, that pass through the wifi router, there is the constant question of information security. Even if the network is secure what is the owner of the cloud service doing with your details?

These are all questions that need to be answered before the wise self-builder starts planning, and paying for a building automation solution.

The choice of system must be secure, cost effective and have an acceptable lifetime. Being backwards compatible, fully future proofed and non-proprietary reduces both install and long term costs. It must be capable to deal with the complex energy management requirements that come with renewables and localised storage and it needs to be able to support the changes that will come with micro-grids, vehicle to grid connectivity and multiple tariff energy supplies.

The solution should be upgradeable, but that upgrade must be the choice of the self-builder and not forced by the vendor. If you want additions such as voice control it should be the system that you choose and it should be as an additional “layer” of functionality. That additional layer could be, for instance, a simple door lock or voice control

That voice control could be for your convenience, such as calling up a lighting ‘scene’ when you are entertaining, or it could be part of a support system to enable someone with disabilities to interact with their house. This is the basis for AT; assistive technology.

Self-builders need a solution that is easily installed at the construction phase and fully functioning from the outset, not dependent upon the phone connection. The system should be something that offers the homeowner/self-builder choice and one that they can easily find support for. Not all self-builders use the same construction techniques, and a wiring and control solution for the project must be adaptable no matter what route is chosen: SIPS, single skin brick, traditional, timber frame etc.

All of this means that as well as the previously mentioned requirements of robust, dependable and secure, the installed solution also needs to offer choice, be flexible and be openly compatible with multiple vendors, and be able to fully integrate other systems that are defined by the self-builder, such as home cinema or security.

KNX, sitting at the core of a building, satisfies all of these requirements. A KNX solution gives full control to the user, and flexibility to the self-builder. There is no cloud dependency, no monthly fees and the user information is secure as it is not dependent on wifi. There is no risk of obsolescence. It is robust and simple to install making it the ideal choice for all self-builds, no matter what construction method is used.

Paul Foulkes is UK country manager at Theben Automation