From the smart office boom to IoT’s broader accessibility, RE2020’s implementation, and the launch of the Matter standard… things are moving fast in smart homes and buildings! And while COVID has uncovered IoT’s potential as a “major factor in adapting to the pandemic” according to BearingPoint, there are many challenges driving the market for years to come.
Smart office/smart building: humans & buildings, same fight
The pandemic has blurred the boundaries between the home and office, with the massive adoption of teleworking. This paradigm shift has had numerous consequences, including the boom in connected solutions aimed at improving meetings and collaborative experiences, the disruption of office layouts, and the accelerated deployment of the smart office for better employee performance and better management of their interactions.
Combining AI, IoT, and GTB, smart buildings are poised to become the standard, now more than ever. Smart building link together equipment, voice and visual recognition devices, increasingly innovative weather, health, and occupancy sensors, predictive maintenance tools, and more. All these integrated building technologies and self-regulation systems make it possible to minimize energy consumption, maximize safety, and optimize technical management while prioritizing the personal comfort and health of the building’s occupants.
Without a doubt, some equipment, like the CO2 sensors being installed in local schools to prevent the spread of COVID and other indoor pollutants, will someday be smart devices (on openings and other places) that are an essential part of our daily lives.
Occupants with peace of mind in a healthy building… that’s what is at stake in the years to come.
RE2020: Less is better
Now in effect, the new regulations for New Construction projects meet three objectives: reduce the building’s carbon footprint, achieve a threefold reduction in its energy consumption (compared to existing buildings), and make it more resistant to high temperatures.
IoT/Smart Home solutions have gained widespread acceptance. They make it possible to fully meet the requirements of the main three indicators under RE2020 by controlling a building’s temperature, automating protective systems (shutters, blinds, etc.), and interconnecting with brightness and temperature sensors.
Two ways in which RE2020 goes beyond RE2012:
- The concept of the positive energy building, or BEPOS. This means that buildings must now produce more energy than they consume by using certain materials (wood, raw earth construction, etc.) and generating their own renewable energy (solar panels, etc.).
- zero waste, taking into account the energy footprint of the equipment required to minimize their impact.
Achieving the right “passive-active” balance is the roadmap for new construction.
RE2020: objectives:
- Decrease carbon emissions in construction: 30% reduction by 2031
- Eliminate fossil fuels: 2025
- Maximum CO2 level allowed in single-family homes: 4 kgCO2/m2/year
- Maximum CO2 allowed in collective housing: 6.5 kgCO2/m2/year
Want to know everything about RE2020? 👉 See the guide issued by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition
Smart Home, yes, but…
In light of teleworking boom brought on by the pandemic and climate change, the number of smart devices is soaring, making our home environments healthier, more comfortable, and more sustainable. Smart homes are truly becoming accessible to all at a time when citizens, developers, and housing authorities are more confident than ever in the benefits of digital technology.
There are lingering challenges in this rise in intelligence…
Data security (which is already seeing the emergence of new players in storage as an alternative to large platforms).
Sobriety. Stand-alone, battery-free devices, a shower head supplying power to a speaker, a solar-powered remote control, an “energy center” electrical panel… the recent CES 21 showcased these responsible innovations on the brink of proliferation.
Matter: A standard to follow
It’s vital to be open in smart homes
Marc Westermann, Director of Products & Services at Somfy
This is the motivation behind the new Matter universal protocol developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (formerly Zigbee) and many key players like Google, Amazon, and Apple.
Its goal is to standardize the language of objects, which are natively connected to the internet, so that they can all communicate and interact (whether they use Thread, Wifi, or Ethernet).
More compatibility, more simplicity in integration, more potential services with easier maintenance and updated levels of enhanced security… Matter promotes partnerships and convergence, gaining the support of a growing number of IoT manufacturers.
The benefits for consumers include standardization of pairing methods for a simplified experience. And the guarantee of a robust, long-lasting protocol for the entire lifetime of their equipment.
The first products to be Matter-certified are lighting and electrical products, followed by many other categories in the coming months. To be continued…
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