Openness to technology
In open technology systems, data can be exchanged via agreed interface standards, regardless of the manufacturer. This is the basis for economical and future-proof solutions in climate-smart building control.
The assessment of the German Energy Agency (dena) is clear: technological openness is an important prerequisite for the use of climate-intelligent measurement and control technology in buildings, which can be used to drive forward the energy transition. Only if these applications have "access to building data across all technologies, sectors and trades" can forward-looking solutions be economically integrated into the existing infrastructure, says dena in its flagship study "Integrated Energy Transition", published in June 2018.
The greatest possible freedom in technical design accelerates digital transformation and avoids unnecessary costs. Technologically open systems allow a free choice of software and hardware components. Users can choose according to their preferences and are not tied to closed systems from individual manufacturers. When it comes to measuring and billing the consumption of heat, electricity, gas and water in buildings, an open technology infrastructure offers the freedom to combine different components into an overall solution that optimally meets specific economic and technical requirements.
Interoperability - efficient exchange of information without restrictions
Technology openness ensures that independent systems are interoperable - in other words, that they can exchange information efficiently and without restriction and work together as seamlessly as possible. A prerequisite for interoperability when using different software is the use of the same file format or the same protocols. This allows processes to be optimised, added value to be created and future innovations to be integrated more easily. The communication architecture of the Open Metering System (OMS), which enables the exchange of metering data for electricity, gas, heat and water across manufacturers and sectors, provides the basis for the technology-neutral exchange of metering data.
Open Metering System - A communication architecture for all utilities
Within the communication architecture of an OMS, readings from automatically read digital meters can be recorded, transmitted and exchanged. Because the hardware and software used to do this communicate using the same protocol, devices from different manufacturers and different utility sectors can work together seamlessly.
Conclusion
Open technology systems are more economical and future-proof than closed systems because they allow competition between suppliers of different solutions, and innovations can be integrated more quickly and cost-effectively. This is because systems that give users a free choice today are also better suited to the retrofits and additions of tomorrow. With open technology systems for intelligent building control, it is possible to economically implement customised systems that optimally meet the requirements of property owners and users.
