An intelligent home
In around two months' time, the first residents, academic guests from Empa and Eawag, will move into DFAB HOUSE. At DFAB HOUSE, they will live in an intelligent home. A consortium of companies led by digitalSTROM has installed the first smart home solutions in DFAB HOUSE (see Factsheet Digital Living), which are based on the manufacturer-independent digitalSTROM platform. These include intelligent, multi-stage burglar protection, automated glare and shading options, and the latest generation of networked, intelligent household appliances.
However, DFAB HOUSE is smart not only in terms of home electronics, but also in terms of energy management: Photovoltaic modules on the roof supply on average one and a half times as much electricity as the unit itself will consume, while an intelligent control system coordinates all consumption and ensures that no load peaks occur.
Two start-up ideas, accompanied by researchers from Empa and Eawag, are helping to save additional energy: On the one hand, heat from waste water, which would otherwise be lost, is recovered directly in the shower trays via heat exchangers, and on the other hand hot water flows from the pipes back into the boiler when not in use instead of cooling in the water pipes. This method not only saves energy and water, but also reduces the risk of bacteria growing in the pipes.
Research and industry learn from each other
The sixth unit in the NEST research and innovation building is a good example of how cooperation between researchers and industry can produce forward-looking solutions. "In implementing a construction project like DFAB HOUSE, traditional construction methods meet new concepts of the digital world. The path from the digital drawing board to an actual building has challenged both scientists and experts from industry. Through a constructive dialog, something truly visionary can now be put into practice; hopefully it will soon be used broadly in the construction industry," says Empa CEO Gian-Luca Bona.
