Nibe
Swedish ground source and air/water heat pumps — the Scandinavian standard for KNX climate integration.
Nibe (Markaryd, Sweden — founded 1952) is one of Europe's largest heat pump manufacturers, with over 500,000 installations across Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, and the Baltic states. Their product range covers air/water heat pumps (F2040, F2120), ground source/brine-to-water systems (F1145, F1255, S1155, S1255), and domestic hot water heat pumps (F470). All modern Nibe units (2018+) include Modbus RTU/TCP and NIBE Uplink cloud connectivity, making them straightforward to integrate with KNX automation systems via a Modbus gateway or Home Assistant.
Role in our panels
How we use Nibe
Nibe integrates with KNX via Modbus RTU (RS-485) or Modbus TCP (Ethernet), accessible on the heat pump's SMO 20/SMO 40 control module. The Nibe Modbus 40 accessory card (optional on older units, built-in on S-Series) exposes 900+ Modbus registers covering leaving water temperature setpoint, DHW setpoint, operating mode, compressor status, COP, energy counters, and alarm states. Home Assistant's Nibe integration uses the local Modbus interface — or the NIBE Uplink cloud API for simpler (but cloud-dependent) setups. For professional KNX installations, the recommended path is: KNX weather station (Elsner P04) outside temperature → KNX-Modbus gateway → Nibe LWT setpoint write via Modbus — enabling weather-compensated heating curves without Nibe's own external sensor.
In KNX panels, Nibe integration is purely software — no dedicated hardware module in the panel enclosure. The KNX-Modbus gateway (Intesis, MDT, or Weinzierl) provides the interface between KNX group addresses and Nibe Modbus registers. Key integrations: (1) KNX outside temperature DPT 9.001 → heating curve calculation → Modbus write to register 47007 (LWT setpoint); (2) KNX time/schedule (ETS logic block) → Modbus write to operating mode register (heat, DHW, holiday); (3) Modbus read COP/energy → KNX group address → display on Gira X1 room controller or Home Assistant energy dashboard; (4) Nibe alarm state → Modbus → KNX → push notification via HA. Nibe S-Series (2022+) also supports SG Ready (Smart Grid Ready) contact — a 24V digital input that KNX can drive via relay output to signal cheap-tariff operation periods.
Used in these project types
Nibe products
Key components we install
Nibe F2040
Monobloc air/water heat pump, 6–16 kW. The most common Nibe unit in Central and Eastern Europe. Pairs with SMO 20 indoor module. Modbus TCP via NIBE Modbus 40 accessory. Best for residential new-build and retrofit where ground loop installation is not practical.
Nibe F1255
Brine/water ground source heat pump, 6–17 kW. Higher COP than air/water in cold climates (Sweden, Finland, Poland). Requires ground loop (vertical boreholes or horizontal collectors). Modbus TCP built-in. For premium residential projects where lifetime efficiency matters more than upfront cost.
Nibe S1255
Next-generation ground source unit with improved compressor and SG Ready 2.0 support. Full Modbus TCP without accessory card. Smart Grid integration via digital input — ideal for projects with dynamic electricity tariffs and KNX energy management.
Nibe S2125
S-Series air/water split system, 8–16 kW. Successor to F2040 with updated refrigerant (R32) and higher SCOP. Built-in Modbus TCP, SG Ready, and compatibility with NIBE HeatPump Home Assistant integration. Best choice for new KNX smart home projects (2024+).
Nibe F470
Domestic hot water heat pump, 260–300L tank integrated. COP 3.5+ for hot water production. Modbus RTU via NIBE Modbus 40. KNX integration: solar surplus trigger → Modbus mode change to boost (force DHW heating during PV peak hours). Payback typically 4–6 years vs electric immersion.
NIBE Modbus 40
Required for Modbus TCP access on F-Series units. Plugs into the SMO control module. Enables full register read/write access (900+ registers). Not required on S-Series (built-in). Essential for professional KNX integration.
Nibe FAQ
Does Nibe have a native KNX module?
No — Nibe does not manufacture a KNX communication module. Integration is via Modbus TCP (NIBE Modbus 40 accessory on F-Series, built-in on S-Series) with a KNX-Modbus gateway (Intesis, MDT, Weinzierl) or via Home Assistant using the NIBE Uplink or local Modbus integration.
Which Modbus registers are most important for KNX integration?
Key Nibe Modbus registers: 40033 (outdoor temperature, read), 40008 (leaving water temperature, read), 47007 (LWT setpoint heat, read/write), 47011 (DHW setpoint, read/write), 47137 (operating mode: 0=auto, 1=manual, 2=add heat, 3=hot water, 4=off), 40074 (compressor status, read), 40079 (COP, read × 0.01), 44300 (total energy input, kWh). Always verify against the specific firmware release of your Nibe unit.
What is SG Ready and how does it work with KNX?
SG Ready (Smart Grid Ready) is a two-bit digital input on modern heat pumps (including Nibe S-Series). The four states: 00 = normal, 01 = energy-saving (reduce operation), 10 = boosted (run at higher capacity for cheap tariff), 11 = forced off. In a KNX project, a KNX binary output (relay) drives the SG Ready input: when the energy tariff is cheap (dynamic tariff via Home Assistant Tibber/Nordpool integration), KNX closes the relay → heat pump runs in boost mode (state 10).
Can Nibe be monitored remotely via KNX?
Via Home Assistant acting as the bridge: Nibe Modbus data (COP, temperatures, energy) is read every 60 seconds → exposed as HA sensors → pushed to KNX group addresses for visualisation on room controllers. Alternatively, Nibe UPLINK cloud provides a mobile app view but is not connected to KNX. For professional monitoring, Modbus → InfluxDB → Grafana dashboard is common in larger projects.
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