With BREL SMART BUILDING, a new era begins.

'That BREL is at the forefront of technological developments was already known from the integrated battery technology for solar solutions and the many shapes and possibilities of solar panels. Now Reinoud Arts and Erik Budding are taking it a step further with their own developments of these motors: they are now ideally suited for application in projects.' Zonwering Magazine has the scoop and writes about the latest development BREL SMART BUILDINGS. '

'It concerns a new range of solar-powered motors with built-in Li-ion batteries and external control. The technical developments continue. BREL keeps a close eye on new technologies, as well as the latest ISO, VMRG, and NEN standards. Where necessary, BREL adapts its products accordingly. With the advent of solar technology in project shading, BREL opens the door to a new era.

Climate Neutral and Insulation

'Energy is expensive and the trend is that we are moving towards climate-positive buildings. Initially, the focus is of course on using as little energy as possible. This is primarily achieved by very good insulation. The downside of this for shading is that the accessibility of a radio signal to shading on the exterior facade is greatly reduced. Budding: “Since project shading is centrally controlled and must work fully automated, you must be able to rely on the up and down control actually taking place. Therefore, until now, only wired solutions have been used.”

That does not take away from the fact that since the advent of radio motors, there has always been an intrinsic desire within the project world to use wireless shading. “And by wireless, we mean completely wireless”, Arts sketches. “Battery motors, solar-powered, wirelessly controlled. We now have an answer to that question.” Budding adds: “Making holes in the facades for cable routing is also not enthusiastically received anymore. You are piercing an insulated shell of a building. Additionally, the wiring and control are often more expensive and complicated than the product itself. It also requires a lot of coordination between architect, builder, electrician, shading company, and user to achieve a good end product.”

A glimpse into the dashboard of BREL Smart Building. The status of the automated shading is that it is temporarily disabled due to severe weather conditions. It is clearly visible which motors are present, where they are located, and what their battery status is.

Control and Maintenance from the Exterior is Now Possible

BREL has developed an innovative solution to control the shading from the exterior of the building. With a specially developed app and software, scenarios are easily created, in various ways, at various levels within the organization, and at the desired decision-making levels. “The new motors are full of sensors. With these, we can control the shading in all possible ways. This greatly increases comfort and energy savings”, Budding sketches.

Also in terms of maintenance, the new BREL motors have a great advantage: It shifts from reactive to preventive. Arts: “The intelligence in the motors detects problems before they actually occur. If a motor starts running heavily and uses more power? Perhaps there is something wrong with the fabric or the guides of the screen.

This can be easily monitored, and the system detects all irregularities. Abnormalities are immediately reported, which can be done via an email to the building manager, but also directly to the person who performs the maintenance. By logging into the system, it can be checked from the office whether the shading is still functioning properly. This saves in the visit of a maintenance technician. And because the technician no longer needs to be inside, maintenance can be performed at any desired time without the customer needing to be present or appointments needing to be made.”

‘BREL has entered into an exclusive partnership with Vodafone Business’

In the dashboard, it can be tracked which motors need service, and the progress of handling the service tasks is neatly recorded.

By allowing the motors to enter into a symbiosis with Vodafone Smart Building, BREL is able to offer a reliable, wireless method of project control.

Exclusive Partnership with Vodafone Business

What is now ‘the secret of the smith’? BREL has entered into an exclusive partnership with Vodafone Smart Building. The intelligence that anticipates the latest regulations regarding energy-efficient buildings is already built into the software and hardware of the motors. Because Vodafone connects all systems, energy can be saved even better for office buildings while increasing user enjoyment. “At BREL, we searched for a reliable, large party in telecommunications with proven technology. By allowing our motors to enter into a symbiosis with Vodafone Smart Building, we are able to offer a reliable, wireless method of project control. The best of both worlds comes together at the facade”, Budding concludes.'