Developments and buildings largely independent of the energy grid and can be self-sufficient - even in winter. The products from ecocoach make it possible. CEO Benjamin Friedrich explains why the energy supply of tomorrow could look exactly like this, why sustainability and convenience go hand in hand at ecocoach - and where a great deal of persuasion was needed.
Benjamin Friedrich, the ecocoach system is best illustrated by the example of the «Bättigmatt» development in Seewen SZ, an almost completely self-sufficient building.
Exactly, the apartment block is 80 per cent self-sufficient on the electricity side, i.e. self-supplied. Of course, it is still connected to the grid to bridge the remaining 20 per cent, specifically the days with little sun, when the photovoltaic system can only provide a small amount of energy.
But you would have an alternative ready for this as well.
Yes, we have already installed a fuel cell in the superstructure that could generate the remaining energy. This would make the building 100 percent off-grid. A large tank of methanol is ready to run the fuel cell. However, Switzerland lacks regulations for the operating conditions, and the technology has not yet been approved for the project.
The «Bättigmatt» offers condominiums of a higher standard. Proof that sustainable living doesn't have to mean less comfort?
Right, exactly the opposite is the case. At the same time, it's also the core idea of ecocoach: we don't just focus on energy but also on building automation. Many people are good in one of the two segments—we combine the two. Thus, we combine sustainable living with superior comfort.
Automation therefore provides that certain something. What does that mean in concrete terms?
Residents benefit from a number of features rarely found in conventional apartment blocks. One example is automatic blind control. When it's hot, lowering the blinds for shade makes sense. This also works for us when nobody is at home, as the system recognises the right time automatically. But the reverse is also true: if it's too windy, the blinds are automatically retracted before they can be damaged.
We are all familiar with the annual letter from the property management company in autumn: «Please ventilate only briefly and not unnecessarily!» Does ecocoach's automation make this letter redundant?
This is becoming obsolete. Our system can read out window contacts, notify the user via the app after a certain period, and automatically reduce the heating. The same applies to lighting, ventilation and other large consumers, which can also be controlled via scenes or in your absence. Depending on the setting, the system recognises when nobody is at home and reduces consumption to a minimum. Depending on how much automation is used, this increases convenience and saves a significant amount of energy.
The residents of «Bättigmatt» not only live in a development that meets the latest energy standards, but they also have an overview of the individual processes at all times.
Of course, this is very important. All components are integrated into one platform, displayed in an app, and shown to residents on their tablet. Everything is visualised here and easy to understand, even for non-experts. Users get all the information they need about their home's energy balance regarding electricity, heat, cold, and hot water. The consumption values can also be called up every quarter of an hour, for example, for billing purposes.
However, the app is not just for information purposes.
No, you can also use it to control the individual components independently. For example, the photovoltaic system produces more electricity than necessary on a hot summer day. Users can set in advance that the surplus electricity is not fed back into the grid but that the energy is used to top up the storage tank or heat water, for example. After all, self-generated energy is cheaper and more sustainable. The system automatically measures how much solar energy is available and performs the action autonomously. The charging stations can also be selected individually.
To refuel electric cars with solar energy?
The electric car is also part of the app - so, in a sense, it is also part of the building. All components belonging to the flat user can be controlled via the app. For example, you can choose whether the charging station should always be supplied with electricity. Or only when energy is available from the photovoltaic system. You can also decide whether the electric car should be charged during the day or at night. For example, if the vehicle is needed in the morning.
«THERE ARE ALREADY 21,000 MANAGED DEVICES WITH 300,000 CONTROLLED ENDPOINTS ON THE ECOCOACH PLATFORM.»
- Benjamin Friedrich, CEO AT ECOCOACH AG
All features that benefit comfortable living. ecocoach is also available for commercial use.
Here, too, our system is prevalent. This is because, unlike most other products on the market, we offer a natural alternative in the event of a power failure. Many companies rely on their IT infrastructure, for example, being supplied with power around the clock. In the event of a power failure, our system only taps into the power storage system once it is exhausted. ecocoach creates a self-contained emergency power circuit in such situations. We are talking about days, weeks or even months that can be bridged in this way.
This could be necessary not only in individual cases in the future but also in view of the impending energy crisis.
We have noticed that demand for our products has increased significantly since then. As already mentioned, not all storage systems are the same. A storage system with a standard emergency power function cannot set up a network that continues to operate local power generation. The building is, therefore, very soon dependent on mains power again. In such situations, our system sets up a local grid backup. It can, for example, put the photovoltaic system or a combined heat and power plant back into operation and regulate them accordingly. Such products are much more in demand in the current situation. Solutions that have the potential to outlast a crisis are in demand.
ecocoach is popular in the commercial sector not only because of its high level of supply reliability but also because of its building automation, which can be customised for commercial buildings.
Of course, business customers can use the same functions as private customers. For example, offices can be heated during working hours, and the heating is automatically switched off in the evening. Existing models can also be integrated into the ecocoach system. For example, one system is already equipped with a hydroelectric power plant; this has been included in our app, and the operator receives a push message if a fault occurs. Another example is ramp heating: ecocoach switches this on automatically when the surface is icy and ensures that nobody slips.
Is the ecocoach model the one that will prevail in the future?
I am convinced that there will no longer be a purely centralised energy distribution network in the future. Our energy supply will be based on many small islands networked with each other and can sell energy to each other or supply it directly. ecocoach provides the technology for this.
What drives you personally to play an active role in shaping tomorrow's energy supply?
ecocoach's heart—and mine, too, of course—beats for making the energy transition a reality. To do this, it is necessary to scrutinise decades-old infrastructure and, in some cases, break it up to introduce innovations.
Resistance is pre-programmed.
You have to deal with that, and you need to be assertive. If I want to go somewhere, I still need to take unconventional paths. We had to do much convincing at one point or another and were also ridiculed at first. Now, we can turn our vision into reality - and the market confirms that we are on the right track. There are already 21,000 managed devices, such as meters, switches and storage units with 300,000 monitored or controlled endpoints, such as temperature or heat quantity, on the ecocoach platform.
