TI Becomes Full Member of EnOcean Alliance

The EnOcean Alliance today announced the induction of TI Texas Instruments (News - Alert) Incorporated as a full member and participant in its group, which was founded last month to establish a global standard for sustainable buildings.

 

The standard is expected to be based upon EnOcean’s unique energy-harvesting wireless technology, company officials say.

 

“The EnOcean Alliance is a great opportunity for TI, which is innovating to enable smart, energy-efficient buildings,” stated Laurent Giai-Miniet, TI’s low-power RF product line manager. “TI’s involvement in the EnOcean wireless standard is an important way to apply our low-power semiconductor technologies to harness the untapped energy around us and move beyond batteries and power cords.”

 

TI supplies semiconductors to the EnOcean Alliance eco-system, with other contributors such as Masco, Honeywell, Siemens (News - Alert), Osram Sylvania, Distech Controls, Omnio, and Thermokon, according to the company.

 

EnOcean offers a self-powered wireless technology, which has the largest installation base in wireless building automation, serving more than 70 shipping customers with 300 available products, and covering tens of thousands of EnOcean-enabled buildings. Building professionals appreciate the interoperability across manufacturers and application profiles that are intrinsic to the EnOcean standard, company officials say.

 

The EnOcean Alliance North American launch is set to take place at LIGHTFAIR International in Las Vegas from May 28 to 30, according to the company. A number of Alliance members are expected to announce the release of new products and intelligent green building projects, company officials say.

 

“The Alliance is still in launch phase but we have already passed a major milestone in gaining the support of such a prominent semiconductor leader as TI,” said Graham Martin, chairman of the EnOcean Alliance. “At April’s Light+Building conference, the largest home & building automation show in the world, more than 40 companies demonstrated 200 interoperable EnOcean-based products. This is a great testament to the qualities of the EnOcean standard - no batteries, maintenance-free, interoperable and easy-to-install–as well as the commitment of the founding promoters to sustainable green buildings.”

 

EnOcean officials say the company’s intelligent, self-powered wireless switches and sensors draw energy from movement, light, or changes in temperature instead of from batteries. The harvested energy is used in the transmission of sensor data over a distance of as much as 30 meters, through walls, within a building for lighting control, blinds, heating or air conditioning without requiring cabling, they say. The technology is eco (News - Alert)-friendly, easily installed, and maintenance-free, according to the company.