KNX helps Scottish electrician win WorldSkills gold medal in Canada

A demonstration of the versatility and flexibility of KNX technology helped Richard Sagar, a young electrician with Eden Electrics in Scotland, win a gold medal at the 2009 WorldSkills competition in Canada. He was selected to represent the UK in the electrical-installations category. The freestyle project in this category required an electrical installation using tools and materials from the entrant’s home country, and KNX UK Association member Siemens agreed to be the sponsor.
The installation to be designed was based on a imaginary property in a remote area. A gate at the main entrance required a motion detector to open and close it automatically. The owners also wanted to include driveway and garage lights to come on automatically when motion was detected. In addition, a sub-switchboard was to be installed in the garage, with the owner also requiring a power socket outlet for portable appliances.
David Thomas from the Electrical Contractors’ Association, who was Richard Sagar’s appointed training manager for the event, was certain that the best solution would be to use KNX as the underlying technology. Before the event, both of them undertook KNX partner training with Ivory Egg, a certified KNX Training establishment in the UK.
Using the KNX skills he acquired, Richard created the installation that won the gold award.