Hail and wind alarm

The hail and wind alarm automatically raises your blinds in case of an imminent natural hazard.

The default behavior is always to raise the blinds during an alarm.

VKG/AECA Alarm

The Association of Cantonal Insurance Institutions (AECA) aims to strategically coordinate and represent the interests of the common organizations of insurance institutions, as well as their members.

It offers a hail alarm system by region.

To do this, it is necessary to obtain a dedicated serial number for the building from the protectiongrele.ch website.

Add a VKG/AECA interface

To add the VKG/AECA interface, go to the interface configuration page.

Click on the "+" icon located in the top right corner and select the VKG/AECA protocol and the alarm type "Hail.

Set a name for the interface and insert the serial number provided by VKG/AECA.

Click "Save."

The connection status is then displayed with useful information such as the alarm status and the latest raised alarms.

Alarm application

There are two ways to control the blinds in the event of a hail or wind alarm:

Control via KNX bus => Recommended for KNX installations

Control via LAHOCO => Recommended for installations without KNX or to relay the alarm to other protocols

Control via KNX bus

Configuring a KNX interface on LAHOCO is a prerequisite.

The KNX component type "Alarm" allows two actions:

Send (CONTROL) an alarm from LAHOCO to the KNX bus, for example, a VGK/AECA alarm.
Receive (STATUS) an alarm from the KNX bus, for example, using a weather station.

Send an alarm on the KNX bus

To transmit an alarm on the KNX bus, create a KNX component on the dedicated components page.

Configure the component as follows:

Interface: KNX
Component Type: Alarm
Name: Your preference
Technical Name: Your preference
Alarm Type: Hail Alarm or Wind Alarm
Model, Hardware, Software: Free

Then, set the group address Alarm Control 1.005 in the Configuration panel. This address will be activated for the entire duration of the alarm.

To link a VGK/AECA hail alarm to this KNX component:

Create a new scene.
Add the previously created KNX component of type "Alarm" to the scene (only this KNX alarm component should be present in the scene).
Add a trigger to the scene.
Choose the alarm type selected earlier and restore the state.

Receive an alarm from the KNX bus

To receive an alarm from the KNX bus, create a KNX component on the dedicated components page.

Configure the component as follows:

Interface: KNX
Component Type: Alarm
Name: Your preference
Technical Name: Your preference
Alarm Type: Hail Alarm or Wind Alarm
Model, Hardware, Software: Free

Then, set the group address Alarm Status 1.005 in the Configuration panel.

To link a hail or wind alarm to components:

Create a new scene.
Add the desired components to the scene.
Add a trigger to the scene.
Choose the previously selected alarm type and the desired behavior.

Control via LAHOCO

The components are only locked from the LAHOCO interface.

For the VGK/AECA hail or wind alarm to affect your components, you need to:

Create a new scene.
Add the blinds affected by automatic raising (the position of the blinds in the scene has no effect).
Add a trigger to the scene.
Choose Hail Alarm or Wind Alarm.
Choose Raise the blinds or Raise and lock the blinds.
Choose Restore the state or No behavior.

By choosing Restore the state, all the blinds in the scene will return to their state before the alarm was triggered.

FAQ

At what frequency is the alarm status transmitted to LAHOCO?

The status of a hail alarm is reported to LAHOCO every 2 minutes.

What happens in case of a power outage?

As soon as power is restored, the VKG/AECA service restarts, and an alarm status is received within 2 minutes.

Is a technician required for the installation?

A technician is only required for the installation of the hail/wind alarm on KNX. The alarm configuration can be fully done from LAHOCO HOME, although for KNX, it is recommended to configure it directly on the system.

Are the raised blinds locked in case of an alarm, or can they be manually lowered (by pressing a button)?

During an alarm, it is not possible to manually lower the blinds from the LAHOCO HOME interface. However, if an action is performed via a button, the locking will not apply. Only direct configuration on KNX can completely prevent this action. Once the alarm is over, the blinds can be adjusted freely again.

At what hail probability is an alarm triggered?

An alarm is triggered when the hail probability reaches at least 5%, causing the blinds to rise. For test objects, an average of two to six alarms occur per year.

What is the accuracy rate of the alarms?

The accuracy rate is 90%, although it fluctuates from year to year. The false alarm rate for hail at a given point is also around 90%, but it should be noted that in the case of an alarm, a hailstorm will systematically occur nearby, even if the hail does not fall exactly at that location.

On average, how many alarms are triggered per year?

In most regions, between 2 and 5 alarms are triggered each hail season. However, in some "extreme" areas, such as the Ticino mountains or the Pre-Alps, this number can be higher, with a maximum of 18 alarms recorded. In the Plateau, many places may also go through a season without receiving an alarm.

What is the position of the blinds after an alarm?

The blinds return to their initial position after the alarm, provided that this behavior is selected in the scene trigger or on KNX.