Top performance perfected
Issue 02-2015:
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In offering the wireless SmartDrive MX radiator thermostat, HORA is setting new standards in heat regulation functionality and design. Clear lines and a large display make the unit attractive for any home environment. Its plug & play capability allows it to be started up at the press of a button. It is the only thermostat on the market that supplies information on the inlet temperature and the exact valve lift position, thereby building an intelligent bridge to efficient system regulation.
The SmartDrive MX draws the eye right from the first glance with an attractive, streamlined housing of a modern design, which adds visual appeal to any classic radiator. The thermostat’s design is thus reason enough to switch to an energy-efficient heating control system. It can replace conventional controllers in just a few steps, thanks to its wireless operation. The large display also makes it easy to read the set target temperature, which can be increased and decreased at any time either with a smart phone app or manually by following the customary steps for a classic valve. If multiple radiators are installed in a room, all drives automatically adjust to the new, desired temperature.
Quiet as a mouse
The SmartDrive MX appeals to more senses than just the eye. Actuating the valve produces a steady, low noise that does not exceed 30 decibels. This volume is no louder than a whisper and much quieter than the usual sounds that occur in a home, such as the rumbling of a refrigerator (50 decibels). It therefore does not disturb the peace in sensitive areas of the home, such as the children’s and adults’ bedrooms.
In addition to the visual, haptic and acoustic features, the thermostat will also win over users and installers with its impressive inner qualities. Indeed, the device is a true powerhouse inside an attractive package.
Two steps is all it takes
At the press of a button, the SmartDrive MX adapts to any commercial valve and precisely detects the particular lift travel. Transmitting the precise lift values, combined with the inlet and outlet temperature, are fundamental items of information for meaningful energy monitoring.
The SmartDrive MX communicates over EnOcean’s reliable, energy-efficient wireless technology. By pressing a button on the device a second time, the installer sends the training telegram containing the EnOcean equipment profile to a home server or gateway a single time. The server or gateway immediately detects the SmartDrive MX and begins to exchange data in both directions. This simple training process is always the same, regardless of the number of radiators. As a result, intelligent heat regulators can be installed by plug & play even in large buildings.
Installers can also add other self-powered devices to the network, such as window contacts, using EnOcean wireless technology. However, the room temperature sensor is already integrated into the SmartDrive MX, so that there is no need for an additional external sensor or a room control unit in each room.
HORA has built a reliable network of partners around the SmartDrive MX, allowing planners and installers to choose from a wide range of gateways and highly intelligent home servers that are the right fit for their particular project.
Smart effects
The inlet temperature sensor integrated into the SmartDrive MX adds even more benefits. An optimum inlet temperature adjustment can be calculated on the basis of the room temperature, the exact lift detection and the system inlet temperature.
Today’s systems in Central Europe are controlled by outdoor temperature (-10 °C / -12 °C). In Germany, these conditions are only valid 6% of the year. The combination of inlet and room temperature sensing as well as the feedback signal of the heating valve’s exact position enable a demandbased inlet temperature adjustment throughout the year. Thus, the heating valves can be set to a maximum lift in order to optimize the hydraulic efficiency.
With this function, the only one of its kind on the market, the SmartDrive MX supplies important data for an efficient heating strategy and thereby generates far higher energy efficiency effects than does a classic individual room controller.
Smart access
Intelligent networking also allows users to access data and time profiles for the heat regulator with an app that runs on a smart phone or laptop. Preset programs can be activated, for example a program for reducing the room temperature when no one is home. Thanks to the EnOcean wireless technology, this functionality can also be implemented with a self-powered central switch located near the front door. When the home’s occupant presses the switch, the actuators control the radiators according to the preset target value.
Energy harvesting outlook
The SmartDrive MX still uses commercial lithium batteries, which give it an extraordinarily long operating time of approximately four years. Three weeks before the power runs low, the app lets the user know that it’s time to change the batteries. HORA plans to present an energy harvesting version already next year. With this development, it will no longer be necessary to change the batteries, making the device even more convenient when it comes to saving energy intelligently.
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