Smart Home

Sensors for energy-efficient, smart buildings

Buildings account for a large share of energy demand. According to the International Energy Agency(1), the operations of buildings are responsible for one third of global energy consumption and emissions. Residential and commercial buildings must become more energy efficient. In addition to power solutions, sensor systems can make a significant contribution to reducing electricity demand.

Energy
Green buildings
Article

Jul 03, 2025

Only ON when needed: The impact of sensors

Did you know that in 2025 the number of smart homes is expected to reach 500 million worldwide? Connected devices, like smart fridges or ACs, make our lives more convenient, but they also consume additional energy. In the face of climate challenges, we need to find intelligent ways to limit overall energy consumption, specifically consumption by smart functionalities. And this is where sensors come into play. They enable connected devices to intuitively understand their surroundings and to react accordingly. We call that “contextual awareness”. In addition to safety and convenience for smart home inhabitants, this ability makes it possible to save energy. Sensors make sure devices are not simply always ON, instead they only run when needed. And with great benefits: We reduce CO₂ emissions, increase device lifetimes and cut costs.

Discover three exciting use cases:

Radar sensors for presence and absence detection

Everybody would agree that in most cases it makes no sense to use electricity when nobody is around – whether generally at home, in a room or close to an electrical device. Conversely, it's very convenient that devices switch on when a person enters the room or is in the vicinity: The air-conditioning starts to run, the lights go on, the music begins to play. Energy consumption should be linked to real needs and room occupancy. How do we achieve this? With high sensitivity, XENSIV™ radar sensors are able to detect people and movements in a room, switching devices on or putting them into deep sleep mode. This way, radar sensors not only increase comfort and user experience (e.g. the music is there where you are) but also optimize the energy consumption of many smart home applications.

Radar sensors in 300 million smart homes – Explore the savings potential
Radar sensors in 300 million smart homes – Explore the savings potential
Radar sensors in 300 million smart homes – Explore the savings potential

With radar sensors being used in 300 million smart homes, there’s great potential for energy savings. We’ve calculated for you just how much energy can be saved in smart households with our radar sensors.

Energy savings with radar sensors

With radar sensors being used in 300 million smart homes, there’s great potential for energy savings. We’ve calculated for you just how much energy can be saved in smart households with our radar sensors.

Graphic about radar sensors for smart devices and the huge energy-saving potential
Graphic about radar sensors for smart devices and the huge energy-saving potential
Graphic about radar sensors for smart devices and the huge energy-saving potential
Samsung TV with radar sensor – intelligent artwork display
Samsung TV The Frame
Samsung TV The Frame
Samsung TV The Frame

Are you aware of the latest TV innovations? One is definitely the Samsung Frame TV. When not in use, the screen shows an artwork instead of “black space”. The 2021 model runs with an Infineon XENSIV™ 60GHz radar sensor. This sensor can detect people in the room and turns off the art mode once nobody is around for a certain time. This not only saves OLED lifetime, but also energy.

Environmental sensors for air quality control

Effective measurement of air quality has become especially important in pandemic times. In addition to the benefits for health and well-being, professional air control helps to reduce energy consumption. Intelligent ventilation systems can be controlled by sensors, measuring CO₂ concentration, related to the number of persons present. According to the results, the room is provided with a calculated amount of fresh air – only as much as needed. The same effect is achieved by opening the window and closing it at the right point in time. This reduces heating and cooling efforts. Did you know that 50 percent of the EU's energy consumption in buildings and industry is related to heating and cooling? There is enormous potential for energy savings. E.g., a ventilation system with a XENSIV™ PAS CO2 sensor can save up to 55 percent of energy. The impact is even higher when combined with smart thermostats and building automation systems.

NEWS: Infineon’s CO2 sensor meets the criteria of green building standards

Microphone sensors: Great audio quality, low energy consumption

Many smart devices (e.g. doorbells, video cameras, smart speakers) use microphones to record sounds, receive commands or input and to allow for communication. Most of the time, these devices are on stand-by until a certain input "wakes them up". This is why built-in XENSIV™ MEMS microphones have two modes: In normal mode, the microphone has the best acoustic performance, allowing for clear audio input. In low-power mode, the microphone’s energy consumption is dramatically reduced, while it is still able to “listen” – mostly for wake-words like "Alexa" or "Siri" or triggers like the sound of a door opening. Once such an input is detected, the microphone switches to normal mode for optimal audio pick up. The fact that smart speakers have more than four microphones and spend up to 90 percent of the time in low-power mode means there is great energy savings potential.

More about MEMS microphones

Avoid power loss with sensor-based condition monitoring

In an ideal world, electrical equipment in buildings would run without failures and consume energy in the most efficient way. Of course, this is not always the case. Integrated into the critical elements of a system, sensors can monitor the condition of devices such as HVAC or lighting. The data collected may show deviations from normal values indicating a decrease in performance and efficiency. The result: Expensive downtimes and higher power consumption. Due to aging and degradation, devices no longer run at their optimum performance. This can be detected by various sensors. E.g., in an HVAC system the DPS368 barometric pressure sensor detects reduced airflow due to a clogged filter, the TLI4971 magnetic current sensor indicates motor failure and the IM69D130 microphone detects sound anomalies in the compressor. In addition to condition monitoring, sensors also enable the next step: predictive maintenance.

Predictive maintenance and condition monitoring

Infineon XENSIV™ sensors: Inspired by the human senses

Smart feel, smart nose, smart ear and smart eye: All together, Infineon's sensors are inspired by human functions and are able to interpret their surroundings, including implicit intentions and context. It almost seems like the devices with built-in sensors intuitively understand what we want them to do. That's why we call this intelligent technology “Intuitive Sensing”. Sensors connect the real and the digital world, making life not only easier and safer, but also greener.

Graphic of a human head showing sensors as sensing organs
Graphic of a human head showing sensors as sensing organs
Graphic of a human head showing sensors as sensing organs

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