FENIX GROUP - Electric Heating System Manufacturer

process was the town joining the Mayors´ Convention. The Convention is an initiative of the European Commission aimed at reducing CO2 emissions, a commitment of the signatory towns and municipalities to surpass the EU energy policy targets by reducing CO2 emissions and thus increasing energy efficiency and the production and use of purer energy. By joining this initiative, the town has broadened the scope of its previous activities focused on improving the quality of the environment and the health of the people, in keeping with the general strategy of the town. In this connection, the new projects and strategies are targeted at sectors which the town can influence by its activities. This concerns buildings owned by the municipality, public lighting and transport, especially as regards reducing fuel and energy consumption, a combination with other sustainable energy initiatives, projects prepared in the framework of the Smart Cities concept, projects linked to the climate change adaptation strategy, and support to activities and instruction in

the household and services sector within the framework of the Healthy Town project.

nTARGET AREAS The principal target areas for the implementation of the Smart Cities concept in the Czech Republic are sustainable mobility, information and communication technologies, and efficient territorial management. In this category, projects in the ICT and efficient territorial management areas account for 45 per cent of

the total number of the already realised projects, with projects in the sustainable mobility area accounting for 31 per cent. Of the total number of the Smart City projects currently in the process of realisation, ICT and efficient territorial management projects account for 28 percent, with sustainable mobility projects currently under construction accounting for 44 per cent. These two target areas also hold a dominant position among projects under preparation, at each of which about one-third of the anticipated Smart City projects is targeted. A positive development is the fact that good practice examples, from the systemic point of view, can also be found at the regional and former district town levels. This group comprises examples of regional centres, such as Brno and Prague, as well as the former district towns, e.g. Kolín, Litoměřice, Písek, Třinec, Tábor, Chomutov, Mladá Boleslav, Prostějov, Opava, Přerov and Příbram. A systemic approach to implementation should be underscored in the case of the town of Třebíč.

Fenix Group Is Pushing for Connection to the Smart Grid System

Fenix Group a.s. is not only one of the largest Czech electric heating system manufacturers, but also an important firm exporting its products to more than 70 countries the world over. The core of the Group´s production programme is underfloor and ceiling heating systems, outside surface heating systems, eave, gutter and piping defrosting systems, radiant heating panels, including marble and glass panels, and convector heaters. The firm, which nearly 30 years ago was started in a small garage turned into a workshop making electric heating panels, is today a big player in the market with a billion crown turnover.

In 2018, FENIX Group showed a massive growth in revenue. In that year, the Group´s revenue for the first time exceeded the billion-crown mark and amounted to CZK 1 591 billion, 11 per cent more than in 2017. “Greatly responsible for the record growth was the Czech market, but in spite of this, FENIX continues to be a strongly export-oriented group, with affiliations in seven countries – Slovakia, France, Spain, Great Britain, Norway, Poland, and Germany,” says Cyril Svozil, Director and Owner of the holding. For example, the company is selling its underfloor heating also to Saudi Arabia. Since 2000, the company has increased its sales of radiant heating panels more than sevenfold, much due to the increasingly growing construction of low-energy houses. “The idea of a fully electrified house with nearly zero energy consumption appeared in 2013. Such a house is connected to the

common distribution network which, at the operator´s command, will reduce the amount of electricity flowing from the grid or will go over to insular mode. We have successfully tested even controlled electricity supply modes. In response to the next command, it may, on the contrary, increase consumption and send the excess energy into battery storage. The integrated roof photovoltaic system can supply 30 per cent of annual consumption,” Cyril Svozil explains. The company exports most of these heaters. To cope with the growing demand, the group has invested more than CZK 50 million in the construction of a building to house robotised painting shops and assembly lines, which will allow it to double the production of radiant heating panels. In 2017, the firm invested another CZK 11 million in the installation of the assembly line and metalworking machines. Fenix Group has bold aims: by 2020 it is planning to put into service an electrified family house with nearly zero energy consumption. It has already tested the project in the building housing their office centre in Jeseník.

n BATTERY STORAGE RESEARCH Energy self-sufficiency? The solution is battery storage. This issue has been tackled by the Group´s AERS affiliation since 2016. “AERS has developed an original ´in-house´ 10-50 kWh modular battery storage station and in its manufacturing plant in Jeseník it realised a 640 kWh accumulation station. The overall investment in these two projects was CZK 64 million.” In 2013 FENIX started investing in projects to automate processes in its workplaces and the experience in

EXPO 2020 Fenix Trading has become the official partner to the Czech Exhibition of firms participating in EXPO 2020 in Dubai. The theme used by the United Arab Emirates as the motto of the event is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, and FENIX Group will be there, too. In the framework of the rotating exhibition, which will feature the theme “Czech Energy”, to be on display for the whole month of March, FENIX Group will be showing two projects. The first is the model of a 2020 standard house as an active element of

operating them triggered the idea of using the battery storage system so as to eliminate micro-stoppages occurring several times a day and causing breaks in the operation of the technological equipment. The purpose of this system has several basic functions: reducing the reserved maximum of energy consumption by 35 per cent, ensuring the observance of ¼ of hourly maximum without restricting consumption, monitoring continuously the quality of input energy and, in the case of irregularity, ensuring quality supply into the internal grid. “As regards the future, the tendency is expected to be towards combining decentralised energy production, based on renewable sources, with conventional power industry production, based on the use of nuclear energy. To achieve the required flexibility, battery storage will be used on a large scale, both as regards large-capacity electricity consumption and smaller, household and company consumption of electricity during the day at the microlevel inside the building,” Svozil adds.

the energy system, where it will display the Fenix energy concept. The second project will be the AES 10 accumulation station of the AERS s.r.o. company. For the whole duration of the international exhibition, i.e. from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, the firm will loan an artefact to the Czech Pavilion, made by Jakub Nepraš and named “Energy Phoenix”. Jakub Nepraš is a visual artist who combines new media in creating what he calls “video sculptures”. He displays his works all over the world and is the holder of several international awards.