ABB has opened Australia's first KNX fully certified training facility at RMIT. The facility has been certified by the international KNX Association in Brussels.
At the KNX facility, ABB is providing KNX equipment for hands-on training as well as RMIT facilitator training.
The KNX product range includes energy monitoring devices, lighting controls, blind and shutter control, security, environmental control (HVAC), presence and movement detection as well as audio visual management.
KNX is an open-architecture building automation system which has been used across the world for more than 20 years. It provides energy efficient solutions and comfort control to building applications.
"KNX technology is getting high acceptance as the world’s open standard for the control of all types of intelligent buildings, both commercial and residential," said Keith Leung, head of low voltage products and systems for ABB in Australia.
"KNX is well established as the number one protocol in the world and we definitely see it as the future of building automation systems here in Australia.”
RMIT will train all their electrical engineering and apprentice students on KNX. RMIT University Pro Vice-Chancellor Science, Engineering and Health and Vice-President, Professor Peter Coloe said that the ongoing collaboration with ABB helps position RMIT at the forefront of global software engineering for advanced automation technologies.
"RMIT's collaboration with industry is integral to its leadership in applied research and education, and to the development of work-ready, highly skilled and globally focused graduates," Coloe said.
Buildings are one of the most significant sources of energy consumption across the world. Building system engineering supported by intelligent and networked room and whole-building controllers, can contribute significantly to conservative and requirement-based energy use.
The worldwide standard for KNX technology enables energy savings in the double-figure percentage range as well as providing enhanced flexibility with planning and implementation, along with a high level of investment protection and availability.
KNX offers flexibility by using an open architecture and has more than 300 manufacturers globally offering products to integrate into a single communication network.
[Image above shows the Yas Marina Hotel, Abu Dhabi using ABB ABB i-bus KNX technology, switch sensors, Comfort touch panel, room thermostat, shutter actuators and Busch Infoline devices.]