SELVE Home in action: Smart system comfortably controls screens in chic penthouse

Modern, open and light-filled: Couple Henk and Yvonne van Horne have realized their dream apartment in retirement. In Hamont, Belgium, their penthouse offers plenty of quality of life, everything furnished and tailored to their personal needs. The large, floor-high windows are covered with high-quality screens, which offer plenty of views while preventing unwanted prying eyes. They are controlled automatically with SELVE Home and commeo control. This provides "living comfort, protection, energy optimization and flexibility," according to the residents. At home or while traveling - via an app, they can access the system at any time.

A total of 148 m² of living space, surrounded by a 97 m² terrace: At home, the Belgian couple not only enjoys an excellent view of the town of Hamont, but in the new, barrier-free penthouse, they also have "everything prepared for growing older." After decades of professional activity, they are now living their dream: they have time for regular vacations - and plenty of space at home, in a stylishly furnished, high-quality apartment that offers plenty of comfort.

High quality windows & screens

The special character of the penthouse is characterized by large window areas. The black aluminum windows are from Profel, a large window manufacturer from Belgium. The company - like the renowned sun protection manufacturer Wilms - has been an expert partner of SELVE for many years. The custom-made surface-mounted screens are from Wilms of Meerhout, Belgium, which now provide Yvonne and Henk van Horne with optimal light and sun protection. "The heat stays outside in summer, thanks to the screens there is no need for energy-consuming air conditioning," they say. The functional, black sunscreen fabric is translucent and partially transparent, yet tremendously heat-resistant. "In our apartment it is bright even when the screens are down," say the residents. In terms of protecting their privacy, the screens are also advantageous, blocking unwanted glances. The installation style also pleases the couple for aesthetic reasons: The surface-mounted boxes on the windows are integrated into the facade, so they are not visible from the outside.

SELVE technology proves itself on a daily basis

The 13 screens are set in motion by SELVE drive technology, here SE Plus motors ensure reliable movements. The extremely convenient operation is taken over by the smart system SELVE Home in combination with a bi-directional commeo control. "When the sun shines, our apartment is automatically protected from overheating, we don't have to worry about anything anymore," emphasizes the couple. Because they also wanted to leave nothing to chance when operating the screens: SELVE Home controls the screens automatically and depending on sunrise and sunset, which increases living comfort, contributes to energy savings and provides additional security through control. "Thanks to the user-friendly SELVE app, we can access the screens anytime and anywhere, check the status while traveling and, if necessary, intervene ourselves or perform a presence simulation," says Henk van Horne. "Everything works perfectly and facilitates our daily life."

During the initial installation of the system, Oliver Rentmeister, SELVE Sales Manager Benelux, provided active support. He accompanied the Wilms company as a SELVE specialist partner - and contributed to programming the controls and integration of sensors.

Additional sensors in use

To protect the high-quality screen installation, it was important to Yvonne and Henk van Horne to protect it from damage caused, for example, by strong winds or frost. For this purpose, commeo sensors WSRF were installed on two different facade sides. "Thus the screens are lowered in the event of stormy gusts of wind or, depending on solar radiation, when threshold values are exceeded," explains Oliver Rentmeister. The respective values were set on site by the SELVE expert. He also installed two additional commeo control remotes so that the screens can be operated manually if necessary. "However, this option is rarely used by the occupants; all commands come from SELVE Home and the sensors, resulting in completely comfortable, automatic operation - exactly as the end customers desired," says Oliver Rentmeister.

"Very satisfied" were Yvonne and Henk van Horne not only with the technical support from SELVE, where no questions were left unanswered. Since then, they have also been satisfied with the wireless products and the smart solution from Lüdenscheid, which intelligently controls the screens in their penthouse. They especially appreciate the ability to easily access their installation with their smartphone or tablet via the app in Hamont, Belgium, and anywhere else in the world.