Taking Energy and Operational Efficiency to New Heights

At an altitude of 2,883 meters, the Monte Rosa Hut offers shelter and lodgings to mountaineers and hikers exploring the Valais Alps in Switzerland. Renewable energy sources and smart building technology behind the shimmering facade of the “mountain crystal” make sure that their stay is not only pleasant, but as efficient and sustainable as possible.?

Creating a smart building in the middle of the alps?

Operating a hut at nearly 3,000 meters above sea level has its own challenges: How do you create a comfortable environment for guests and staff that has the least impact on the environment? And how do you troubleshoot during the winter months when heavy snow makes the hut even more inaccessible? The answer is twofold: you need renewable energy to reduce your carbon footprint and a smart building that you can access and control from anywhere. At the Monte Rosa Hut, this is what the integrated building management system Desigo CC and the digital building platform Building X, part of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio make this possible.?

Peak performance in extreme conditions?

Building X – easy access to remote locations?

Since 2024, the open and flexible IoT platform Building X has been working as the "operating system" of the Monte Rosa Hut. It makes all the data generated from field devices and the building management Desigo CC available to apps that can monitor and control the entire building. Building X is an open platform that is vendor-agnostic. Built on the interoperable and open principles of Siemens Xcelerator, Building X is an open platform that is vendor agnostic. With our ready-to-use apps, the hut operator can access the building's systems at any time-even remotely in the harshest conditions, when the hut can't be physically reached.?

The efficiency booster: Energy Manager?

The Energy Manager is the most important tool in making the Monte Rosa Hut as sustainable as possible. Every 15 minutes, the building management system Desigo CC sends data from heating, water, photovoltaic cells and ventilation to the cloud. There, the Energy Manager app analyzes the data, tracks energy consumption, monitors sustainability KPIs and identifies inefficiencies.?

Control from anywhere: Operations Manager?

The Operations Manager uses data from controllers and gateways to remotely monitor and troubleshoot the Monte Rosa Hut. This supports the hut operator keep the building up and running even when physical access isn't possible during the winter months.?

The next step: Comfort AI?

Building X is a digital building platform that digitalizes, manages, and optimizes building operations. It makes the building's data accessible and allows for a variety of use cases. The next step for the Monte Rosa Hut is to implement the Comfort AI app. It uses AI automation to create ideal indoor conditions in the hut, while enabling an additional 6.5% energy savings on average per month.?

• Learn more about Energy Manager?

• Learn more about Operations Manager?

• Learn more about Comfort AI?

• Learn more about Siemens Xcelerator?

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