The Siemens Building Technologies division is launching its second-generation RDD/RDE room thermostats. The thermostats have a contemporary design and new touch controls that allow them to be operated without pressing any buttons. Wireless models have also been added to the product range.

After more than 10 years on the market, the RDD/RDE thermostat family is being replaced by a new generation. The updated devices not only have a simple, contemporary design but also a comparatively flat construction. The current values are easy to read on the large, clearly organised displays. The thermostats are operated using modern, capacitive touch controls. This means that the buttons only have to be touched but not pressed in order to change the values.

The RDE line comes with timer and holiday programmes that allow users to set the room temperature for certain periods of time. This makes it possible to cut energy consumption and operating costs since unused rooms do not have to be heated, for example. The thermostats can also be linked to key card readers – for instance in hotel rooms – so that rooms are heated only when they are occupied.

Both the RDD and RDE lines are available in 230 VAC and battery-powered versions and have buffer memory that temporarily stores data and settings in a power outage or while changing the batteries. Both product lines also come with wireless models that communicate with a multizone receiver. This receiver supports up to six thermostats, which greatly reduces the need for wiring.

The RDD/RDE room thermostats are suitable for heating applications in residential and commercial buildings, such as single-family and vacation homes, multi-family buildings with individual heating systems as well as schools, hotels and offices with individual room control. For use in public areas, the devices have a set point and operator lockout system that reliably protects against tampering.

The RDD/RDE room thermostats are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2012, revenue from the portfolio totaled about 33 billion euros ($44.7 billion), making Siemens one of the world’s largest suppliers of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period, its products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by more than 330 million tonnes, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of Berlin, Delhi, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo.