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CASE STUDY:

Introducing Energy-Efficient Smart Heating Solution in a Hotel While Preserving Historic Architecture

🇩🇪 Kassel, Germany

Our client

Building type: Hotel Building

Partner Name: Betterspace

Location: Kassel, Germany

Building parameters: 1 Building

“The occupancy-dependent heating of the rooms and the detection of open windows in particular help us to save energy in the hotel and reduce the workload on our team.”

Hotel manager Jasmin Ohlendorf

About Betterspace

Betterspace develops smart software solutions that make buildings more energy-efficient, digital, and user-friendly.

With better.energy, users can make their non-residential buildings more energy efficient. The system automatically controls radiators and fan coil units, whether it is a hotel or office building, a clinic or care facility, or a school or other educational institution, better.energy reduces energy consumption.

The online management platform better.energy helps users manage their buildings. It allows them to keep an eye on their company, locations, devices, users, and better.energy modules, enabling the automated control of radiators and fan coil units as well as continuous monitoring of energy consumption.
Hotels also benefit from the better.guest digital guest directory. With its telephone feature, chat, push messages, green option, and ordering function, the digital assistant simplifies communication with hotel guests, helps generate additional revenue, and reduces costs.

With its intelligent software solutions, Betterspace creates digital, connected, sustainable, and efficient places.

Challenges

Originally constructed in 1298 as a Carmelite monastery, the Renthof building in Kassel was transformed into a boutique city hotel in 2017, offering 55 stylish rooms, exclusive catering, a bar, and unique event spaces. During the extensive renovation, the historic landmark was carefully modernised in line with its listed status.

For hotel management, the key challenge was balancing energy efficiency with the preservation of the building’s architectural heritage. They needed a solution that would provide full control over energy consumption while maintaining the highest level of guest comfort.

With a strong commitment to sustainability and smart energy management, the Renthof team partnered with Betterspace. The collaboration aimed to deliver room-specific heating data, optimise energy use, and significantly reduce overall consumption—all without compromising the hotel’s historic character.

Solution

Heating posed one of the biggest challenges in the listed Renthof Hotel. To solve this, the management partnered with Betterspace and installed 75 Vicki LoRaWAN® Smart Radiator Thermostats, replacing outdated radiator valves. The thermostats were seamlessly integrated into the radio-based better.energy platform, both ideal for historic buildings since no cabling or construction work is required.

The Vicki Smart thermostats were deployed across all hotel rooms, conference areas, and the restaurant. Even with the thick walls of the centuries-old building, the LoRaWAN® devices delivered reliable performance, from basement to top floor. Features such as occupancy-based heating and open-window detection now ensure optimal energy use, reducing costs and easing the workload for staff while maintaining guest comfort.

The solution also brings long-term advantages: the LoRaWAN® standard makes the thermostats more energy-efficient than Wi-Fi models, extending battery life and lowering maintenance needs. With energy data now fully transparent, the Renthof has significantly reduced consumption and simplified daily operations.

By combining MClimate devices with the better.energy platform, the Renthof proves that sustainability and comfort can go hand in hand, even within historic buildings. This commitment was recognized with the prestigious GreenSign Level 4 certification, positioning the hotel as a role model for sustainable hospitality.

Results

Up to 30% reduction

of the heating costs

Obtained GreenSign

Level 4 certification

Open Windows

Detection

Supports FUOTA

Firmware Upgrade Over The Air

Gallery

Products in this case study

Vicki LoRaWAN® Smart Radiator Thermostat

Vicki LoRaWAN is a radiator thermostatic valve fully compliant with the LoRaWAN standard. It is the perfect choice for large-scale projects as it offers amazing battery life, RF performance and no maintenance for years as well functionalities such as Child Lock, Detection of opened windows and much more.

Recommended products

MClimate Wireless Thermostat LoRaWAN®

MClimate Wireless Thermostat is a stand-alone thermostat powered entirely by solar energy using an organic solar panel. The device features a 2.9" e-ink screen, sensor for movement (PIR), temperature and humidity sensor, LUX sensor and 3 buttons. The user can change the target temperature and see current indoor conditions. The device sends an uplink after any event as well as periodically.

MClimate Vicki Rugged Backplate

The MClimate Vicki Rugged Backplate is a high-durability accessory designed to make Vicki ideal for use in public or high-traffic environments.
Tested against seven other commercial radiator thermostats, the Rugged Backplate outperformed them in both static load and impact resistance, based on CHARPY/IZOD ISO 179/180 and EN standards.
With carefully selected materials and a reinforced mechanical structure, the Rugged Backplate significantly enhances the durability and resilience of the Vicki TRVs.

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