© iExergy GmbH
Why not get a butler?
Ready to get home after a long day at work? Want to turn up the heating while you are still at the office? Not a problem at all with a ‘smart home’. All you need is a smartphone. And you will not only be able to control your heating, but also your lights, switches and blinds. You could even close a window while you are on the road.
Quite smart, isn’t it? The trouble with virtually controlling these devices is that you need a special app for nearly every single device. This makes controlling your home a complex task. Often, users also have to register online. This means that the producing company will gain access to consumers’ names, addresses and data on usage – whether consumers like it or not.
Everything under control with your personal butler
Now, there is a solution to this problem. ‘Wibutler’ is a server developed last year. It has the size of a lunch box, sits in your home, and can wirelessly communicate with hundreds of products from different producers. From one central spot, it pulls the invisible strings, collecting information from all devices, regardless of the producer.
The way this little miracle gadget works is easy to understand: it knows all the different languages used by the devices’ sensors and control elements and can communicate with them. This allows users too choose from a wide range of smart home products and buy and use whatever they want, regardless of the producer. And, like any respectable butler, ‘Wibutler’ will be discreet. It can be operated offline, and data on consumption is recorded only for the benefit of users.
Moving towards a digital energy system
The development of ‘Wibutler’ was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy under the EXIST programme supporting the transfer of research from science to business. It is now available on the market. The technology not only helps improve life quality, it also promotes the digital energy transition. Digitisation is of fundamental importance for the transformation of Germany’s energy system. In autumn 2015, the Federal Cabinet adopted a bill on the digitisation of the energy transition. From 2017, smart metering systems are to be gradually introduced and are to provide a secure link for consumers and producers to the smart energy grid.