Wall switches go wireless



Well, this was an eye-opener I recently found. Can you imagine wireless wall switches? And why would you want these in your project?  Minimizing air-leaks in the building envelope is a priority to maintain air-tightness.   Every time a control or outlet is installed on an exterior wall, the envelope is compromised introducing the potential for leakage around the wall plate.

Enter the battery-free wireless light switch, which is just one application made possible by a wireless, energy harvesting technology known as EnOcean.

EnOcean technology emerged in 2001 from EnOcean GmbH, a spin-off enterprise of Siemens AG from Germany whose technologies are used in building automation, industrial automation and the automotive industry.  In 2007, MK Electric was the first UK manufacturer to use EnOcean for wireless switches.  Here in the US, a number of companies have adopted EnOcean to offer wireless switching products on the market that are widely available.

Wireless switch manufacturers
Verve
AdHoc
Echoflex
Leviton
See the complete list on the EnOcean Alliance site.

Besides energy conservation, additional savings enabled by this technology come in the form of reduced installation time and labor.  Retrofit projects could be simplified as well. Builders, Postgreen Homes give an excellent account of their experiences using the Verve system on their 100k House blog.  They note the added benefit to clients: arrange your own switches!

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