"With the 2in1 system, we are already heating and lighting our new building CO2-free."

The task

In addition to production, the well-insulated new hall with an area of around 900 m² and a ceiling height of around nine meters will also house storage areas for raw materials, machine parts and end products. Christoph Buxbaum answers the question of what requirements he has for the heating of the new hall as follows: "Three simple reasons were decisive. The new building has already become around 350,000 euros more expensive than originally planned due to the official requirements. And it is well insulated. For us, the heating was initially purely a matter of price. The energy source was also clear. Anything other than electricity was out of the question for us. And thirdly, the heating system had to be simple in terms of construction, without a great deal of effort." The requirements that Christoph Buxbaum formulated were quickly put in a nutshell. He used the Internet to find out about various heating technologies. In the end, it was the fact that he already had good experience with infrared technology and the contact with hall heating specialist KÜBLER that convinced him.

The technical solution

"When KÜBLER presented us with the new 2in1 electric infrared heater with light, we thought: That fits perfectly. "With FUTURA E, we were able to kill two birds with one stone and solve the lighting issue for the hall at the same time as the heating," says Buxbaum.

With its FUTURA multi-energy system, KÜBLER has launched a completely new and highly efficient infrared heating technology as a 2-in-1 solution with integrated hall lighting, which has recently also become available in the FUTURA E version as a purely electric heating system, but with a retrofit option for hydrogen and other gases. This, the affordable price and the possibility of solving the lighting issue with the high-quality integrated LED lighting were the deciding factors for Buxbaum to opt for the innovative FUTURA E heating solution. The question of whether Buxbaum wants to take the retrofit option at some point and operate the infrared heating system with hydrogen in an energy-flexible manner is not one that the entrepreneur is currently asking himself. "We'll see what the future brings. It's good that we have the option of using other energy sources."

Four high-performance infrared systems with integrated LED lighting of the type FUTURA E were installed. With a heating output of around 40 kW and 1020 LEDs each, the system is designed to optimally illuminate all areas of the hall with heat and light. The different heating requirements of the production and storage areas are mapped by two heating zones in the building and are tempered and illuminated differently depending on requirements.

The entire system is controlled via the modern and intuitive CELESTRA control cockpit from KÜBLER. The smart digital heating control system can be expanded on a modular basis, for example with the TorOff module for automatic shutdown when the hall door is open, E.M.M.A. for real-time monitoring and energy management in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001 or WinTec for remote control and regulation via PC. Buxbaum opted for the SmarTec module, which automatically determines the optimum switch-on and switch-off times depending on the outside temperature and controls the system accordingly. This makes system control child's play for Buxbaum. If required, system parameters can be viewed at any time via the full-color display and changing the settings requires little more than the press of a button.

The result

100 percent CO₂-free heating - Christoph Buxbaum has already achieved Austria's climate target of being climate-neutral by 2040 at the latest in his new building long before then. As far as regulation is concerned, he is therefore relaxed about the future. This also applies to possible energy price increases. The 109 kWp PV system installed on the roof of the hall almost completely covers the energy requirements for heating and lighting, making the company largely energy self-sufficient. This is a major cost advantage for Buxbaum, even though grid electricity prices in Austria are significantly lower than in Germany. In addition, the electric infrared heating is virtually maintenance-free and will not incur any significant costs in this respect either.

The even temperature control of the hall building not only creates a pleasant, draught-free working environment for people, but is also important for the production process and the storage of the trapezoidal sheets produced: the effectiveness of the anti-condensation fleece coating relies on the dry and homogeneous temperature control provided by the infrared heaters.

Another point that benefits cost efficiency and sustainability is the integration of the hall lighting. The 2in1-FUTURA E system not only reduces the space required under the hall ceiling, but also almost halves the amount of cabling and control required. Infrared heating and LED lighting for both heating zones are controlled by just one CELESTRA.

RES program

The RES project Austria is being funded as part of the Renewable Energy Solutions program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection's Energy Export Initiative.

German Energy Agency (dena)

The German Energy Agency (dena) is a competence center for applied energy transition and climate protection. dena looks at the challenges of a climate-neutral society and supports the German government in achieving its energy and climate policy goals. Since it was founded in 2000, the agency has been developing solutions, putting them into practice and bringing together partners from politics, business, science and all parts of society - both nationally and internationally. dena is a project company and a federally owned public enterprise. Its shareholder is the Federal Republic of Germany. www.dena.de

German Energy Solutions Initiative

With the aim of positioning German technologies and expertise worldwide, the Energy Export Initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) supports providers of climate-friendly energy solutions in tapping into foreign markets. The focus here is on renewable energies, energy efficiency, smart grids and storage as well as technologies such as power-to-gas and fuel cells. The offer is aimed in particular at small and medium-sized enterprises and supports participants with market preparation measures and with exploring, developing and securing markets. www.german-energy-solutions.de

Renewable Energy Solutions Programme (RES Programme)

With the RES program, the Energy Export Initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) supports German companies in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector in opening up new sales markets. As part of the program, reference plants are set up in a target market and marketed with the support of the German Energy Agency (dena) for publicity and advertising purposes. Information dissemination and training activities promote the sustainability of market entry and demonstrate the quality of climate-friendly technologies from Germany. https://www.german-energy-solutions.de/GES/Redaktion/DE/Dossiers/res-programm.html