Sustainable, intelligent electrical installations

The family-owned Hager Group, founded in 1955 in Ensheim, Germany, is, according to the company itself, one of the leading suppliers of solutions and services for electrical installations in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. Its history has been built on complete systems to distribute, protect and route electricity, and its current focus is sustainability: e-mobility and buildings that consume less energy and manage it better.

In this article we review what Hager offered for a project in early 2022: power distribution, efficient energy management with agardio.manager, the berker, lumina and cubyko switch and socket ranges, KNX solutions, cable management and support services for professionals. We close with some frequently asked questions and the sources consulted.

Power distribution: from the domestic consumer unit to the main switchboard

Every installation starts at the distribution board. Hager covers power distribution from end to end, with installations that ensure the safety of people and buildings: modular switchgear (circuit breakers, residual current devices, contactors, impulse relays) up to 125 A, distribution boxes for homes and small commercial premises, enclosures up to 4,000 A and air circuit breakers with protection relays up to 6,300 A at the head of larger installations.

For the designer, the choice of box depends both on the power and on where the board will be located. Hager recommends the golf VR/VD series for homes with smart meters, VF/VS as a general-purpose solution and VU/VA, with a metal door, where the board is exposed to the public. To size boards up to 4,000 A, the brand offers the Hagercad.project software.

Efficient energy management

An efficient building needs good insulating materials above all; but it must also monitor and control how energy is distributed and used. Hager offers solutions to control temperature and lighting through programming, regulation, control or remote-control devices, as well as to control blinds and heating.

One example is its digital time switches: by 2022 the range had been reduced to four references which, according to the manufacturer, combine functions that previously required several devices. The multifunction models are configured from a phone, tablet or computer via Bluetooth with the Hager Mood app, and include daily, weekly or annual programmes, an astronomical mode with geolocation and a twilight switch function.

agardio.manager: measuring in order to manage

For monitoring, Hager offers the agardio.manager system, a multi-energy manager for viewing and controlling the quality and consumption parameters of the electrical network. It is a server that takes up six modules in the board and collects data from up to 31 Modbus devices, such as meters and protective devices from Hager or other manufacturers, including water or gas meters.

Its web interface shows how much energy is consumed and where: the breakdown of consumption, harmonics, peaks and how it evolves over time or after an improvement. The data are stored on the device itself and can be exported as CSV. According to Hager, the solution complies with IEC 60364, makes it easier to meet the objectives of ISO 50001, the energy management systems standard, and helps improve the building’s energy efficiency class.

Switch and socket ranges: design for every project

Switches and sockets are the most visible part of the installation, and the part that is touched most.

Hager’s offer includes switch and socket ranges suited to all kinds of architectural projects: in its 2021 catalogue, more than 18 design lines, from classic to contemporary. The manufacturer groups them into three families: the berker series, for high-specification projects with careful design; lumina, the economical standard that does not compromise on quality; and cubyko, for demanding or outdoor settings. The table summarises their main data.

berker series

The berker series offer a range of switches with versatile designs that combine shapes and colours, so the final product fits the needs of the project, with the option of customising frames or rockers. The range extends from classic lines, such as the Bauhaus-inspired Serie 1930 — also available in Rosenthal porcelain — or Serie R.classic with its rotary control, to flat lines such as berker R.8, which projects just 3 mm from the wall.

In several series the frame material changes: glass, aluminium, stainless steel, slate, concrete, wood, leather or acrylic, depending on the series. And when the catalogue is not enough, Hager’s Manufaktur service produces one-off pieces and modified series in bespoke materials, colours and finishes. We cover this in detail in the article on Berker R.1.

cubyko IP55

Another style of switch is cubyko, notable for its refined design, adaptable to any setting and resistant in all seasons. It is tested to IP55 protection and IK07 impact resistance, is made in grey or white polypropylene and can be surface-mounted or flush-mounted. Hager recommends it for harsh or working environments, garages, swimming pools and outdoor areas.

The surface-mounted version can include an LED light ring, in white or blue, which improves its visibility. Its design, by Erwin Van Handenhoven, design director of Hager Group, received the Design Plus powered by light+building, the German Design Award and the iF Design Award. According to Hager, it operates between -40 and +60 °C and can integrate tebis KNX modules.

lumina

lumina is Hager’s standard range: a contemporary series designed for projects in which the balance between cost and performance is decisive, without compromising on quality or design. It includes single, double and triple switches, switches with indicators, rotary dimmers and Schuko sockets, among other functions.

It comes in two versions. lumina intense offers three colours — gloss polar white, matt silver and matt black — and a frame of its own design, and allows switches and frames to be combined to customise the whole. lumina soul, in gloss polar white only, meets demand for more economical solutions without compromising on quality. Both accept frames of up to five gangs and are fitted with just two references per point, the mechanism with rocker and the frame; they are certified by VDE and AENOR.

KNX solutions for the smart building

Hager also offers the option of adding KNX solutions to the installation. KNX is the open protocol approved as international standard ISO/IEC 14543-3 and as European standard EN 50090. Because it is a standard, devices from different manufacturers speak the same language and the installation can be extended over time. KNX devices allow efficient control of energy — lighting, blinds and awnings, heating and cooling, remote access — and ensure users’ safety and comfort.

Hager offers three ways to configure it, depending on the type of project, and one tool to control it:

• quicklink: a radio-based system for refurbishment, with no need to lay new cable runs or use programming tools.
• easy: for new build and full refurbishment; configured with a server, a tablet and the easy app.
• ETS: the standard KNX software for larger residential and commercial projects.
• domovea: viewing and controlling the whole KNX installation from a single device.

Control devices, such as KNX push-button interfaces, keep the same look as conventional switches: they are available for the frames of the berker R, K, Q, B and S series, include a temperature sensor and their LEDs can be customised. This way, a single project can combine conventional and smart points without changing visual language.

Cable management

Hager also offers trunking solutions to bring power and data wherever they are needed throughout the life of the building. Its ranges aim for more efficient installations that can be easily extended, in residential, commercial and industrial projects:

• Residential: tehalit.LF mini trunking, from 6 × 9 to 20 × 35 mm, also in wood effect and black, and tehalit.ateha, for refurbishments and renovations.
• Commercial: tehalit distribution trunking and device-mounting trunking for offices, workshops, schools, hotels and hospitals.
• tehalit.SL skirting trunking: 55, 80 and 115 mm wide, with two or three compartments, up to eight colours and an LED version.
• Workstations: floor boxes for raised access floors or screeds, telescopic mini-columns and tehalit.officebloc.

Services for professionals

The company supports professionals before and after the sale. It provides technical assistance with comprehensive advice and guidance, and training by specialist staff — hands-on sessions on site, webinars and explanatory videos — to make its systems easier to install. These are complemented by digital tools such as Hagercad.project for designing boards, the Hager Ready app with the catalogue and technical documentation, and an app for quoting and simulating the switch and socket ranges room by room.

Finally, its website offers a space for inspiration, with a gallery of designs, reference projects and testimonials from professionals that provide ideas for any project.

Hager Group, the manufacturer

Peter Hager founded the company in 1955 in Ensheim (Saarland, Germany) with his sons Hermann and Oswald, and in 1962 opened its factory in Obernai, France. Since 2010 the group has included Berker, the German switch manufacturer behind the berker series. In Spain it operates as Hager Sistemas, headquartered in La Roca del Vallès (Barcelona) with branches across the country.

Its commitment to sustainability takes shape in energy management in buildings and in e-mobility, with its witty range of charging points. Hager is a versatile solution for all professionals — installers, panel builders, architects, interior designers and specifiers — and also for owners of homes, hotels, shops or offices, with safe, certified options.

The electrical installation is part of the interior design project: the finish of a switch, its colour or the material of the frame are decided together with the other surfaces. At Matter we help you choose materials and finishes with your technical team.