VELUX enters $31.4 billion smart home market

Leading roof windows manufacturer partners with Netatmo, a smart-home leader, and launches new smart sensor-based system.
The VELUX Group, the globally leading roof window manufacturer, has released the world’s first ‘plug-and-play’ system for smart sensor-based operation of roof windows, blinds and shutters for use in homes worldwide.

VELUX ACTIVE with NETATMO - an integrated system in one kit - addresses increasing global demand for smarter, healthier homes. With this new product, VELUX enters the fast-growing smart home market with a solution going beyond simple convenience to creating better and healthier indoor living conditions in homes around the world.

Built on the newest smart-sensor technology, developed in collaboration with French tech company and smart-home leader Netamo, the VELUX ACTIVE smart-home system integrates the newest smart sensor technology and thus thinks and acts on the consumer’s behalf. Smart sensors monitor the temperature, humidity and CO2 concentration inside the home which activates the system to automatically control the roof windows.

It is the first smart-home system launched within the global window business that succeeds in combining – in one solution – a smartphone app, an indoor climate sensor, a departure switch and an internet gateway run by advanced algorithms controlling the fully-automated operation of both roof windows, blinds and shutters to improve indoor climate and prevent overheating.

"We are extremely excited to see how consumers will respond to our smart-home innovation, making homes more comfortable and healthier by enabling homeowners across the world to improve their indoor climate in an easy way," said Peter Bang, CFO, The VELUX Group.

It is a system designed on science-based indoor climate parameters in joint collaboration with VELUX engineers and Netatmo tech experts.

„VELUX ACTIVE with NETATMO is the result of two stunning technologies; high standard VELUX windows and Netatmo’s know-how for creating simple and useful products. Our teams worked together to create a breakthrough solution not only easy to use and reliable, but also beneficial for user’s well-being.“ explained Fred Potter, founder and CEO of Netatmo.

The system comes with its own app allowing people to manage their entire indoor climate control system according to personal needs and external weather data via a few touches on their phone.

For customers with an iPhone and iPad, the smart-home system also connects with Apple’s smart-home app Apple Home, enabling homeowners for the first time ever to operate their roof windows, blinds and shutters using voice-control assistant Siri.

Smart algorithms manage your indoor climate for you

Sensors placed in the room register when it is either too hot or too humid or when the concentration of CO2 is too high and sends this information to the system’s gateway in order to rectify the situation. The indoor data is then processed along with weather data in a gateway, using advanced algorithms to calculate if the indoor climate can be improved by opening the roof window or rolling down blinds or shutters to prevent overheating.

With this new system, VELUX has moved the roof window from being a stationary product to an interactive, intelligent unit with the potential to constantly evolve through developing further algorithms to control the system.

“This is the first version of our smart-home system, which we will continue to develop based on feedback from users. By virtue of its digital nature, we’re able to constantly improve it, which means users as an add-on automatically receive the newest upgrades and added functions, as we advance the software,” continued Bang.