Carrier
AquaForce chillers and VRF for BACnet/KNX integrated buildings
Carrier is the global HVAC leader and founding company of modern air conditioning, established in 1915 by Willis Carrier who invented the first modern electrical air conditioning unit. AquaForce and i-VX VRF systems dominate large commercial buildings worldwide, with BACnet/IP integration as the standard protocol for connectivity to building management systems. In KNX-integrated buildings, a BACnet-to-KNX gateway bridges Carrier equipment to the KNX bus, enabling centralised control of chilled water setpoints, operating modes, and fault monitoring from KNX room controllers and BMS dashboards.
Role in our panels
How we use Carrier
The AquaForce 30XA air-cooled chiller exposes all operating parameters via its native BACnet/IP interface: chilled water supply setpoint, return temperature, chiller operating mode (cooling/standby/fault), compressor staging, and energy consumption register. Integration to KNX uses a LOYTEC LGATE-952 BACnet/IP-to-KNX gateway, which maps Carrier BACnet objects to KNX group addresses using a point list configured in LOYTEC L-VIS. The gateway is mounted in the main electrical panel; KNX group addresses are then available to the ETS6 project for building-wide automation. The Carrier i-VX VRF system (variable refrigerant flow, up to 60 indoor units per outdoor unit) provides a BACnet/IP gateway option via the Carrier BACnet Open Controller or third-party Intesis IN701KNX gateway. Each indoor unit is individually addressable: KNX group addresses control on/off (DPT 1.001), setpoint temperature (DPT 9.001), operating mode (DPT 20.105), and fan speed (DPT 5.001) per indoor unit. This enables per-room KNX climate control without a separate fan coil controller. The Carrier i-Vu BMS (building management system) software platform supports OPC UA server interface, enabling integration with KNX via Lingg & Janke KNX Virtual OPC UA client. At the enterprise level, i-Vu aggregates data from all Carrier equipment across the building and presents it to KNX as a unified set of group addresses — chiller plant status, total cooling load, energy kWh, and demand response signals for peak load management. Legacy Carrier equipment using the proprietary CCN (Comfort Network) bus can be bridged to BACnet using the Carrier CCN-BACnet protocol adapter, after which integration to KNX follows the same BACnet/IP gateway path. CCN was the standard Carrier building controls bus from the 1980s through early 2000s and remains in many existing commercial buildings undergoing KNX modernisation.
Carrier systems connect to KNX via BACnet/IP gateways (LOYTEC LGATE-952, Intesis IN701KNX). The AquaForce chiller exposes chilled water supply setpoint, return temperature, chiller operating mode, fault status, and energy consumption as BACnet objects mapped to KNX group addresses. KNX controls chilled water setpoint (DPT 9.001), enables/disables chiller (DPT 1.001), and reads alarm status (DPT 1.005).
Used in these project types
Carrier products
Key components we install
AquaForce 30XA
Large commercial air-cooled chiller with native BACnet/IP interface. Chilled water supply setpoint, return temperature, compressor staging, fault status, and energy consumption all exposed as BACnet objects. Maps to KNX via LOYTEC LGATE-952 for building-wide automation. Available 200–500 kW cooling capacity.
i-VX VRF
Multi-split commercial VRF cooling/heating system, up to 60 indoor units per outdoor unit. BACnet/IP gateway option (Intesis IN701KNX) enables per-indoor-unit KNX group address control: on/off, setpoint, mode, fan speed. Suited for office buildings, hotels, and mixed-use developments with KNX room automation.
i-Vu BMS
Open protocol BMS with OPC UA server interface for enterprise-level Carrier equipment management. Integrates with KNX via Lingg & Janke KNX Virtual OPC UA client. Aggregates chiller plant, VRF, and FCU data into unified KNX group addresses for building-wide energy monitoring and demand response.
42EP Fan Coil
2-pipe or 4-pipe fan coil unit for BACnet room-level control. Each FCU provides individual zone control: on/off, fan speed (low/medium/high), cooling/heating mode, and local temperature sensor. KNX integration via BACnet/IP gateway for multi-zone office and hotel room climate control.
Carrier CCN Bridge
Legacy CCN (Comfort Network) proprietary bus to BACnet/IP protocol bridge. Enables KNX integration of existing Carrier CCN-based equipment without controller replacement. Critical for commercial building modernisation projects where Carrier CCN plant (chillers, AHUs) must connect to new KNX building automation.
Carrier FAQ
What gateway is needed to connect Carrier AquaForce to KNX?
The standard approach is a LOYTEC LGATE-952 BACnet/IP-to-KNX gateway, or the Intesis IN701KNX Modbus TCP/BACnet-to-KNX gateway. The AquaForce 30XA has a native BACnet/IP interface — no additional protocol adapter required on the Carrier side. The gateway is mounted in the electrical panel and configured with a BACnet point list mapping AquaForce objects to KNX group addresses. LOYTEC LGATE-952 configuration is done via LOYTEC L-VIS (Windows software); Intesis configuration via Intesis Box Configurator.
Can KNX directly control the Carrier AquaForce chilled water setpoint?
Yes — via BACnet/IP gateway. KNX group address (DPT 9.001, 2-byte float) maps to BACnet AV object 'ChW_Supply_Setpoint' on the AquaForce controller. KNX writes the setpoint value; the BACnet gateway forwards it to the chiller. Typical range: 6°C–14°C chilled water supply. KNX can also enable/disable the chiller (DPT 1.001 → BACnet BI 'Chiller_Enable') and monitor fault status (BACnet AV 'Fault_Code' → KNX DPT 1.005).
How is Carrier VRF energy consumption monitored via KNX?
Carrier i-VX VRF units expose cumulative energy consumption (kWh) as a BACnet AV object. The BACnet/IP-to-KNX gateway maps this to a KNX group address using DPT 13.013 (active energy counter, 4-byte signed int). KNX energy displays (e.g. MDT SCN-RT3U.01 or Gira energy display) read the value and present it on a KNX room controller. For building-level reporting, Carrier i-Vu BMS aggregates all VRF and chiller energy and exposes total consumption via OPC UA, which KNX Virtual can present to ETS6.
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