Modernizing and Digitizing Old Buildings Easily

April 7, 2025

Using energy efficiently is one of the most important tasks today to conserve resources and reduce operating costs. This is particularly challenging in existing buildings, especially in public educational and administrative buildings.

Smart digitization of building technology, such as the wibutler operating system, achieves this by utilizing the EnOcean wireless standard. This system was installed in a school as a user-friendly solution for individual room control with minimal maintenance effort. The results showed that quick and easy retrofits of sustainable wireless technologies are possible, even in complex building infrastructures.

Smart Individual Room Control in an Existing Building

Creating healthy and comfortable living and working spaces in older public educational and administrative buildings is no easy task. To digitally modernize the technology in these buildings, a thorough analysis of the building structure and room usage is necessary.

At a school in Hagen, Germany, the main challenge was the diverse building structure: an old building with thick walls and a newer extension. To reduce energy consumption, the elementary school sought a user-friendly solution for individual room control that required little maintenance. Also important was that this did not require any structural changes and that students could not manipulate the thermostats. Additionally, temperature sensors needed to be out of students’ reach. A specialist company, which relied on the wibutler operating system for building technology digitization, secured the project.

Advantages of Digital Building Technology with EnOcean Wireless Standard

They equiped all classrooms with the wibutler individual room control system. Numerous wireless and battery-free EnOcean sensors are in use, which generate their own energy from the environment. The new digital building technology met the school’s key requirement for minimal maintenance and provided additional benefits:

Control: Individual, Smart, and Efficient

Each classroom received a temperature sensor and a smart EnOcean-based actuator from ELTAKO. These devices communicate with the wibutler pro, a future-proof energy control and monitoring hub for new construction and renovation projects. The school janitor can now control the temperature via the associated app with just a few clicks: warm classrooms in the morning for lessons, automatic night setback in the afternoon for maximum energy savings. Additionally, the school can adjust temperatures individually according to the schedule for different grade levels or coordinated centrally for uniform schedules.

Installation & Maintenance: Simple and Preconfigured

The EnOcean-based temperature sensors from ELTAKO were flexibly installed in the classrooms at a sufficient height to prevent damage from students. The wireless communication eliminated the need for extensive wiring and sped up installation. The preconfiguration service of the wibutler pro increased efficiency and saved time. Thanks to pre-programming and sorting, technicians were able to install the devices directly at the designated locations and quickly adjust the heating settings.

Wireless Signal Range: Optimized and Radiation-Free

With the support of ELTAKO, the wireless signal range was tested, as the school’s size and thick walls caused signal attenuation.

The free software DolphinView, provided by EnOcean, helped determine the signal strength between transmitters and receivers. This ensured that the structural conditions were accounted for. A few wireless repeaters were installed at critical points. Overall, EnOcean minimizes radiation exposure in the building despite signals passing through ceilings and walls.

Smart Solutions for Old and New Buildings

Thanks to the wibutler individual room control system, students now learn in optimally heated classrooms while the school saves energy. In times when sustainability and cost-effectiveness are becoming increasingly important, energy harvesting technology and IoT solutions from EnOcean prove their worth. Installed on walls, ceilings, doors, or windows, they provide valuable data and quickly enhance the energy efficiency of both old and new buildings—reducing operating costs and CO₂ emissions simultaneously.

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