In this interview with Katie Rose, Gabi Schermuly Wunderlich, Managing Director of ArGe Medien im ZVEH, shares how ZVEH is pioneering change for a female-friendly future for the industry.
KNXtoday: Tell us about ZVEH and the role it plays in the electrical and tech industries.
GSW: The ZVEH, as the German federal guild association, is made up of twelve state associations and 313 guilds. The ZVEH represents the interests of 48,225 companies from the three trades of electrical engineering, information technology and electromechanical engineering. With 524,224 employees, including 46,196 trainees, the companies generate an annual turnover of 87.8 billion euros.
KNXtoday: How, why and when did ZVEH become associated with KNX?
GSW: The ZVEH is a member of KNX Germany. Its accession is an expression of the partnership between the electrical trade and KNX, and underlines the importance of KNX Germany as a dialogue platform for all those involved in the construction process and operation of buildings.
There are many levels of exchange: we recently jointly organised a KNX summit, and KNX plays an important role in our E-Haus smart home exhibit at trade fairs. Together with our start-up MDA (Mixed Data Agency), we developed the KNX Smart Home Planner, which makes configuring a smart home for both consumers and e-trade companies much easier.
KNXtoday: KNX is a partner of the impressive ZVEH E-Haus, which recently exhibited at Light + Building in Frankfurt and IFA in Berlin. What is the E-Haus and where will it be exhibiting next?
GSW: The E-Haus demonstrates how consumer comfort can be combined with sustainable solutions for energy usage and costs. It shows practical examples of intelligently networked technology for sustainable, secure and assisted living in the home, demonstrated in kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living and utility areas. It also shows how energy can be managed by coordinating domestic and kitchen appliances, heat pumps, infrared heating, battery storage and charging stations, and how control can be made safe from unauthorised access. In 2025, the E-Haus can be experienced at three trade fairs, namely Elektrotechnik in Dortmund in February, Eltefa in Stuttgart in March, and Eltec in Nürnberg in May.
KNXtoday: How is ZVEH pioneering increased sustainability in the industry?
GSW: Whether by improving energy efficiency in buildings, integrating renewable energies into intelligent energy management and installation, maintaining and servicing innovative technologies in the field of electromobility, the multifaceted activities of the electrical trades have a close connection with energy usage and the environment.
Resource-conserving energy utilisation plays an important role for specialist companies, both in their day-to-day operations and in the services they provide for their customers. Therefore, the electrical trades make an important contribution to the successful organisation of the energy transition megaproject, which aims to generate and distribute low-carbon energy to limit climate change.
KNXtoday: Three members of the ZVEH team, Gabi Schermuly-Wunderlich, Verena Anthes and Maren Cornils were part of the initial founding of Women in KNX – tell us about your involvement and hopes for the initiative.
GSW: ZVEH is delighted to support the Women in KNX initiative, founded by Katja Schuster, as a platform for women in building technology to network and exchange ideas. Our industry offers exciting challenges and we need to inspire and support female engineers in the field.
The idea of offering women their own organisation within KNX was developed with Managing Director of ElektroWirtschaft and BusSysteme, Annika Egloff-Schönen, Kornelia Katzenmeier and influencer Sandra Gallner. After a meeting at ZVEH, Women in KNX was launched at the Light + Building fair in 2024.
KNXtoday: How is ZVEH working to promote and increase the representation of women in the trades?
GSW: First and foremost, it’s about the next generation. Working with our young e-fluencers, we run social media campaigns around occasions such as Girls Day, to raise awareness of women in the electrical trades. We support young female master craftspeople, showcase best practice with the ELMAR master craftsperson scholarships and promote female board members. Women in KNX helps the entire electrical sector champion women, and we are very proud of it.
Gabi Schermuly Wunderlich is the Managing Director of ArGe Medien im ZVEH.
