In this interview, the new President of KNX Association, Jean-Christophe Krieger from Schneider Electric, shares his thoughts on the priorities for KNX Association (KNXA) and its continued drive towards sustainability for a positive impact on climate change.
KNXtoday: First, congratulations on your new appointment as President of the KNX Global Association! The position has been passed to him by former KNXA President Franz Kammerl, who has now retired. What do you think about KNXA's achievements so far, its current position and its vision for the future?
JCK: First, I would like to thank Franz for his tremendous contribution over the past 11 years to bring KNX to where it is now. Their commitment to smart homes and smart buildings, their passion and expertise, their leadership and resilience to continually move KNX like a "rolling stone".
KNX is the open, secure and globally connected standard and its reputation is well established for providing sustainable solutions for homes and buildings. KNXA's strategy has always been visionary and this can be highlighted through: KNX Secure as a response to the CRA (Cybersecurity Resilience Act), KNX Energy Management as one of the pillars to support our sustainability goals and currently KNX IoT to take KNX to the next level.
As the world moves rapidly, we must now consider megatrends such as artificial intelligence, climate change, and the energy transition. Read the full article below:
KNXtoday: What are your top priorities? What are the first items on your to-do list, and how do you see their implementation?
JCK: I see three main priorities for the coming years to support KNXA's ambitions:
- Moving from the perception that KNX is 'complex' to the perception that KNX provides 'peace of mind' to everyone involved in the value chain by rejuvenating our web presence, creating new communication assets focused on our value proposition and benefits tailored to each role, and promoting the simplification of tools.
- Continue to specify and develop energy management solutions to decarbonize homes and buildings.
- Staying at the forefront of innovation by assessing the impacts and benefits of AI, the new energy landscape and the evolution of microgrids, and the migration to new software business models.
KNXtoday: Are there any aspects of the KNXA structure that you would like to develop/change?
JCK: The overall structure of KNXA, with its headquarters in Brussels, the KEB (KNX Executive Board), the KTB (KNX Technical Board), the KMB (KNX Marketing Board) and all the working groups, is a fantastic asset that has shown great results over the years, and has provided a lot of engagement and passion with all of the companies in the community. I see the opportunity for greater efficiency by implementing governance that will facilitate collaboration, communication, transparency, and speed in decisions between all parties involved: speed and agility to move forward constantly.
KNXtoday: How important is sustainability for the Association and where does the momentum come from?
JCK: Considering that sustainability means "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs", KNXA has a huge role to play in limiting the impact of climate change, protecting against cyberattacks, providing an innovative digital platform for the entire community, and continuously adapting to changes in standards and regulations.
KNXtoday: What programmes or initiatives do you plan to help drive towards sustainability?
JCK: First, our KNXIoT program will continue to welcome new members and startups to enrich the ecosystem. KNXA is also running several development programs called NorthStar Working Groups, and is focusing on applications for energy management, standardization, simplification of the customer journey, and unification of National Groups. All these initiatives are oriented towards the service of sustainability as I have defined it above. In addition, there will be other programs to begin to link with innovation issues.
KNXtoday: What other areas should KNX focus on or adopt?
JCK: With everything I have described, I believe that we have a lot of work ahead of us for many years, including the 3 strategic pillars of Decarbonization, Peace of Mind, and Innovation; as well as strategic programs such as KNXIoT for Energy Management, Standardization, New Energy Landscape, AI, Microgrid, Business Model, Web Rejuvenation and Marcom, and Unification of National Groups.
Of course, as the world is changing rapidly, we will review strategy and priorities every year to always be ahead of the curve.
KNXtoday: What are the opportunities/threats for KNXA and where do you see the Association in 5-10 years?
JCK: The KNXA North Star has set itself to become the Buildings 4.0 champion with the highest technology penetration rate in buildings that have "KNX everywhere". For that, KNX already meets all of today's requirements and is constantly moving to be ready for tomorrow.
KNXtoday: Are there any other points you would like to mention?
JCK: I want to thank all the members of the KNX Executive Board for their trust in me and the Schneider Electric company, in allowing me to take on this important role. KNXA has a lot of exciting work ahead of it in the coming years – KNX IS because WE ARE.
Jean-Christophe Krieger is the President of the KNX Association and KNX Product Manager with Schneider Electric Industries S.A.
