Topic: Increasing demands are placed on the infrastructure of buildings all over the world. It should support efficient energy use, enable the connection of photovoltaic (PV) systems, make smart home systems integrable, consider the development of e-mobility, and much more. Installation, maintenance, and operation must be as economical as possible. At the same time, the volatile development of new norms and standards makes it increasingly difficult to be proactive. To enable distributors to meet this multitude of requirements, Weidmüller has efficient, flexible and, in particular, future-proof solutions in its range.
Reading time: 3 minutes
Roger Kroon
Vice President Global Distribution Management
Higher energy efficiency, new technologies, more comfort: customers are placing increasing demands on the performance of their building installations. This is also because the operation of buildings accounts for around one third of global energy consumption. High energy efficiency in the building sector is therefore crucial for achieving climate goals. Intelligent building automation systems are one example of this. According to a recent BITKOM study, they could save 14.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in Germany alone by 2030. Distributors are called upon to provide their customers with an appropriate offer. The partnership with Weidmüller enables them to distinguish themselves on the market with highly innovative products and solutions.
New technologies make building installations increasingly complex. A wide variety of components must be brought together under one roof. Whether energy management system, building automation, PV system, storage solution, or charging box for charging electric vehicles: everything that needs to be integrated must fit together, comply with country-specific norms and standards, be expandable and take future developments into account. At the same time, the systems should be flexible, space-saving, simple, and efficient to install, since in many countries there is a lack of skilled labour for installation. All this poses great challenges for distributors and installers in selecting and providing suitable products.
Many customers are unsettled by the new trends and developments. Do the selected products meet the requirements and will they still be up to date tomorrow? Can they be easily combined with each other and can they be adapted to changing standards and living conditions in the future? Weidmüller has clear answers to these questions. As a future-oriented company, Weidmüller provides its sales partners with a comprehensive range of installation products and solutions for building infrastructure. For example, installation terminal blocks and power supply units as well as intelligent solutions for PV systems and e-mobility can be ordered from a single source. This ensures all components fit together optimally. This increases customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
For installers, the selection of the right terminal blocks plays an important role in installation wiring. These must be particularly easy to handle and enable permanently reliable wiring in the smallest of spaces. This is where Weidmüller scores with Klippon® Connect terminal blocks for building installation. They simplify and speed up installation processes, for example with the innovative PUSH IN technology. The ultra-compact A2T 1.5 KNX terminal blocks offer maximum flexibility. They enable the wiring of main and reserve wires of a KNX bus system at just 3.5 mm width. In addition, they facilitate potential distribution with colour-contrasting terminal points and a double cross-connection shaft per level. Such details demonstrate the practical relevance of Weidmüller products – a strong argument in sales.
Many small switchboards are often used in building automation. Therefore customers are looking for economical and compact power supply solutions that are easy to install. INSTA POWER switched-mode power supply units from Weidmüller were developed for these applications. With their unique combination of compact design, high reliability, and proven PUSH IN connection technology, they have a clear advantage over competitor products. They can be mounted flexibly, save 50 % space in width, and fit even into flat control boxes due to their low installation depth. INSTA POWER switching power supplies are available with output voltages from 5 to 48 V DC and can be used universally due to international approvals.
The connection of rooftop PV systems is playing an increasingly important role in building technology. As one of the pioneers in the PV sector, Weidmüller offers its partners a comprehensive range of products from combiner boxes to installation tools. All products are standardised and have been developed to make the installation and operation of PV systems easier and safer. One example of this are PV Next combiner boxes. They are the world's first combiner box concept based on a standardised PCB design - the key to simple, fast, and safe connection of the strings. PV Next combiner boxes are available in many different versions, covering about 95 % of today's standard requirements. This enables PV installers to work faster and save costs. The integrated PUSH IN connection technology shortens installation times and minimises the risk of errors. Due to these advantages, the total cost of ownership can be significantly reduced.
Whether in the private or commercial sector: charging solutions for electric vehicles that are suitable for everyday use are playing an increasingly important role in new construction and renovation projects. Weidmüller addressed the topic of e-mobility at an early stage and today already offers its partners a wide selection of different charging stations with high economic efficiency and good charging speeds. All charging boxes are attractively designed and available in versions from 7.4 to 22 kW. The portfolio was recently expanded with the new AC SMART charging box family. It enables charging at individual charging points, but can also be integrated into smart grids and supports the complex management of charging parks. Due to the platform-based concept, the charging boxes can be adapted to individual requirements. LAN, WLAN, and Bluetooth interfaces integrated as standard as well as a smartphone app for configuration, status information, and charging release make the products perfect.
Products from Weidmüller for building infrastructures enable distribution partners all over the world to optimally serve even the most demanding customer requirements. They offer real added value in planning, installation, and operation, are future-oriented and can be installed quickly, easily and in a space-saving manner in everyday use. All devices and connection solutions are robust, reliable, and comply with international standards and guidelines for the greatest possible safety. Added to this are the simple selection and ordering, as well as the fast and reliable delivery, which is ensured by many locations and logistics centres worldwide. All these benefits make Weidmüller the ideal partner in the field of building infrastructures - today and in the future.