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We can never stress enough how important training is and with KNX gaining in popularity in the UK there is an increasing demand for KNX certified training courses which deliver both theoretical and practical training. One company keen to promote this is Ivory Egg who offer an introductory and full certification course from their base in West Sussex.
Ivory Egg started out as a KNX wholesaler, offering a product selection service based on their extensive knowledge of how products work together and how they integrate for a specific application. Director Colin Price says: "We don't offer a design service, what we do is help our customers to make the right decision about which products to work with. As an independent wholesaler we can talk about a whole range of products and thus help our customers to make the right choice.
"In many applications, particularly in the domestic market, the products which you will see such as switches have to be exactly right. We therefore take time with our customers ensuring that they are happy with the final results."
This knowledge of the market and the products available led to a natural progression into training. Colin says: "More and more we were asked by our customers where they could get KNX training. We spent a lot of time going out to companies and talking to them about the benefits of KNX and this led us to establish our two day introductory course."
Introduction to KNX
The two day introductory course is just that, a practical and theoretical introduction into what KNX has to offer and basically gives people who are new to the technology an overview.
Colin says: "This course has become increasingly popular with people wanting to gain an insight into what KNX is about and how they could make it work for them. It is a good way for installers and contractors to decide if this is a route they want to take and if it could provide additional business opportunities for them."
The success of the introductory course and the demand for more information soon led Ivory Egg down the route of providing the full KNX Certification Course which is prescribed by KNX in Brussels and requires participants to pass an exam to obtain KNX certification.
Full certification
By signing up to the five day KNX Certification Course, participants are making a significant statement that they want to be involved with KNX. Not only is it a fairly arduous five days, a pass mark at the end of it is by no means a given. Colin says: "The syllabus for the course is set down by Brussels and therefore there is no room for manoeuvre. We are basically delivering someone else's course, but what this does mean is that the successful students will be trained to a specific standard and therefore we can guarantee that they leave us as professionals."
The course includes KNX theory and practical training in ETS (the independent programming tool). This is followed by KNX certification via an exam on the last day and a path to Partner status which includes representation on the KNX website and the right to join the national association.
In short the Certification course allows individuals to gain the information they need to start working with KNX and it gives the industry the guarantee that they are employing a competent person to do the job.
There is a wide variety of different people who sign up for the course and they range from small one-man companies to large contractors, all of whom are keen to add KNX to their list of skills. Graeme Bunyan who works for Sysco took part in the course, he says: "As a company we do a lot of work with system design and integration in the AV market and because of the scope of our work it always comes down to control systems. KNX first came across the radar about a year ago and since then we have come across the same questions time and time again - how could KNX improve the installation?
"One of the main problems for us is trying to link different technologies and make numerous different systems work together. What we actually want to work with is one robust infrastructure that can control everything. By coming on this course I am hoping that KNX will provide some of these answers and help to simplify future installations."
Increase in demand
The increase in demand for this training course suggests that KNX is finally beginning to make its mark in the UK. As a controls solution it ticks every box and with people becoming more aware of the importance of building controls in energy saving, this increase looks set to grow. Colin says: "I have been involved with KNX for a number of years and throughout this time I don't feel that KNX has realised its full potential. As an industry we have seen a significant shift in the last 12 months and consultants are now beginning to ask for it on bigger projects.
"The main problem has always been with visibility in the UK market, because although KNX has European dominance, we have never really seen what it has to offer in the UK. When you look at the technology which we have available it is clear that KNX is not as big as it should be but I think the main problem in the UK is that we don't have enough reference jobs. As this starts to change we will undoubtedly see an increase in the number of installations."
Another problem for the UK market is our natural caution when accepting new technology. There are those among us who are happy to embrace everything new, but the larger majority want to be certain that it works before they put their reputation on the line - which is another benefit of the Certification course. Colin says: "For many of our students the course provides an ideal opportunity for them to find out about the benefits and limitations of KNX because they would rather find this out while on the course than when they are on a job.
"By allowing them to investigate the practical side, they have the opportunity to really get to grips with the technology and see what it can achieve in different applications and thus take away with them ideas of how they can use it in the future."
Making it happen
Despite our naturally cautious nature it is clear that KNX is really starting to make a name for itself in the UK. There are some excellent reference projects which are serving as a showcase for what KNX can achieve and as these projects continue to grow in number so too will the popularity of KNX technology.
This growth makes training all the more important and it is good to see that KNX has set a standard which has to be achieved before you can embark upon your first installation. The knowledge that there is a comprehensive training course which offers full certification protects the industry from rogue traders and ensures that every installation is carried out in the professional manner which it deserves.
It also proves that KNX is serious about the UK market and that by providing the means to achieve certification the growth looks set to continue.
