Naturally Green: People, Technology, Environment

WolfVision is a family-owned company, and consideration for future generations, and the world that they will live in is extremely important to us. Social and ecological responsibility is at the centre of everything we do.

In addition to an ISO 9001 certification for quality management, we are also ISO 14001 certified for environmental management and ISO 50001 certified for energy management. These certifications collectively demonstrate WolfVision’s commitment to sustainability by ensuring efficient resource use, minimising environmental impact, and continuously improving energy performance. 

For a European manufacturer like WolfVision, stringent environmental protection directives also apply.

• Directive 2002/95/EG RoHS – Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances.
• Directive 2002/96/EG WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
• Regulation 1907/2006 REACH – Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.

Building Overview

The WolfVision headquarters is designed with a strong focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility. The building’s exterior features an intelligent system of blinds with adjustable louvres that optimize the use of natural light while providing protection from the sun. These louvres automatically adjust based on factors such as the time of day, sun position, and outdoor temperature. For instance, the blinds close when temperatures drop below 0°C, helping to retain heat within the building.

The upper part of the building is equipped with a perforated sheet metal facade, which blocks 70% of radiant heat, reducing the need for air conditioning during the summer months. This heat shield is designed to maintain an unobstructed view from the windows at seated height, minimising the need for artificial lighting. The exterior glass is highly insulated and features triple-glazing for maximum efficiency.

Energy Efficiency

Energy consumption is managed by a central control system, the EIB (European Installation Bus), which optimises the building's heating, cooling, and lighting. This system operates through motion and heat sensors located throughout the building, ensuring that energy is used only when and where it is needed.

Lighting

The building’s lighting system reduces electricity consumption by 77% compared to conventional systems. Artificial lighting is only activated when ambient light is insufficient. Motion sensors detect when a person enters a room and trigger lighting only if necessary, turning off automatically if the room remains vacant.

Heating System

WolfVision's heating system operates on geothermal energy, independent of fossil fuels. Beneath the building, 130 active borehole heat exchangers harness thermal energy from the ground, maintaining a consistent indoor temperature year-round. At a depth of 10 to 20 meters, the soil temperature averages 11-12°C in Central Europe. Geothermal energy is used to heat the building in winter, and excess heat is stored or released into the ground during summer, providing cooling. This efficient system requires minimal electricity to power the heat pump, generating 5 kW of heating or cooling energy for every 1 kW of energy used. This approach not only reduces energy costs but also minimises the building’s carbon footprint.

Electricity Generation

In 2016, WolfVision enhanced its sustainability efforts by installing 360 photovoltaic panels over 600m² of roof space, split between east- and west-facing orientations to capture both morning and afternoon sunlight. The system’s peak performance reaches 93.6 kWp, and between late 2016 and August 2024, it generated 711 MWh of energy—enough to power 22 four-person households for the same period.

Energy Management Systems

WolfVision is committed to ongoing energy optimisation. Continuous performance monitoring ensures that all systems—lighting, heating, cooling, and shading—operate efficiently. Automated alerts inform system operators when manual adjustments are required, ensuring optimal performance at all times. For instance, excess heat from the IT server room is repurposed to heat the storage area, showcasing innovative energy reuse practices.

Ventilation Systems

Air quality is carefully monitored within the building, with fresh air brought in through controlled ventilation. This air is filtered to remove pollen and then heated or cooled using a heat exchange system, which recycles exhaust air energy. Before distribution to office areas, the air is humidified to 45%, ensuring a comfortable and energy-efficient environment.

 By integrating these advanced technologies, WolfVision continues to lead the way in sustainable building design, minimizing environmental impact while maximizing operational efficiency.

Suppliers are sourced as close as possible to one location. Currently, 75% of production materials are sourced from local or nearby suppliers, with only the remaining 25% coming from further afield. Where possible, longer delivery intervals of 3 to 6 months are used. These larger shipments reduce the number of deliveries needed and therefore help to reduce the environmental impact.

We analyse our supply chain and have reduced freight transport and packaging material volumes. The vast majority of WolfVision packaging is reusable and recyclable. Cables and accessories are no longer packaged in plastic, and styrofoam inserts are eliminated from the process with each new product development. As many components as possible are delivered in reusable packaging. These are stored in the warehouse and are then returned to the supplier for reuse.

WolfVision systems are more than 95% recyclable, and do not contain any hazardous components such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB or PBDE. We are fully committed to environmentally friendly disposal of our products, and we also recycle materials such as plastic, glass, aluminium, wood, paper, and chemicals.

Cables and accessories are no longer packaged in plastic, and styrofoam inserts are eliminated from the packaging process with each new product development. As many components as possible are delivered in reusable packaging. These are stored in the warehouse and are then returned to the supplier for reuse.

When designing and manufacturing WolfVision systems, we prioritise environmentally friendly features and functionality. Cynap systems, for example, offer a 3-tier power-saving mode (screensaver, screen off, and standby settings) with customisable time settings. Additionally, three customisable states for the standby setting (power saving, standby, or shutdown) can be selected as required to further reduce power consumption. 

WolfVision remote management software also allows schedules to be configured that switch on/off all WolfVision devices plus connected projectors, screens, etc., at a pre-determined time in multiple locations. This is a very popular feature, and is useful for ensuring that devices are not left running overnight. 

The introduction of deep standby modes and LED lighting, together with advanced firmware optimisation, has reduced power consumption for Desktop and Ceiling Visualizer units by up to 70% compared to previous models. High-performance, energy-efficient LED lighting, first introduced to the Visualizer product range in 2009, is now a standard feature across all models, providing consistent, high-quality illumination while minimising power usage.
Long product lifecycles not only maximise ROI, but also reduce environmental impact by minimising the need for frequent replacements, lowering resource consumption, and decreasing electronic waste, contributing to a more sustainable future. Regular firmware updates are designed to extend the useful life of WolfVision devices, and it is not uncommon to see 15 year old models in daily use in many of the world‘s leading universities!  

We’ve strengthened our commitment to the environment and invited 60,000 amazing honey bees to stay with us at our worldwide headquarters in Klaus, Austria!  

Bees are important and they play an essential role in pollinating trees and flowers, helping to maintain the healthy ecosystems necessary for production of our food. More than 75% of food crops are at least partly dependent on bees. Unfortunately worldwide bee numbers are declining mainly due to climate change and loss of habitat.

At WolfVision we're proud to be 'bee friendly', and provide a home for them. We like to get involved, playing our part in helping to promote pollination, and helping to support the maintenance of nature's balance.

We were extremely proud to have been awarded the Infocomm Green AV Award 2011. Social and ecological responsibility at WolfVision has always been a core issue, and as a family-owned company, we try to play our part, taking care of our planet for future generations. 

Former Executive Director and CEO, Infocomm International, Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D. said, when presenting the award, "Today's sustainability practices are essential to building tomorrow's AV industry, and Infocomm is pleased to issue the Green AV Award to WolfVision for leading the industry by example."