Soracom, Inc., a global provider of advanced Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, today announced that Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. has chosen Soracom to add cellular connectivity to MELCloud™, a next-generation, cloud-based remote management system for Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning, heating, and heat recovery/ventilation products.
Demand for climate control systems that can maintain comfort while conserving energy is growing in Europe, driven both by recent increases in energy costs and by accelerating decarbonization efforts that go beyond the EU Emissions Trading System to include the introduction of a new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and new approaches to carbon pricing. In particular, demand for heat pump water heating continues to grow rapidly, as users seek an effective and energy-efficient alternative to existing combustion boilers.
MELCloud offers a wide range of new capabilities designed to help optimize the performance and efficiency of Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning, heating, and heat recovery/ventilation systems. The MELCloud interface allows for remote operation of air conditioning and heating systems from a PC, tablet, or smartphone, in real time or programmatically with seasonal or weekly timers. Operating data, including detailed system status, energy consumption, temperature, airflow and more, is transmitted to the cloud for analysis and system optimization, with detailed logs and error notifications available.
MELCloud is now available throughout Europe, with nearly 1 million units already registered to the service at the end of 2023. The addition of Soracom cellular connectivity supports seamless performance where dedicated Wi-Fi may not be available, reliable, or accessible, such as multi-unit residential locations like condominiums, apartments, and municipal public housing sites.
Soracom was selected for this project based on extensive evaluation of its coverage in Europe, reliable access to networks with multi-carrier coverage, and powerful connectivity management platform. Worldwide, the Soracom IoT SIM now offers multi-carrier cellular connectivity in more than 180 countries and regions, across over 390 mobile operator networks.
“Soracom’s cloud-native connectivity was designed to support visionary enterprises like Mitsubishi Electric Europe as they deploy at scale,” said Takashi Serizawa, Head of Europe Region for Soracom. “The MELCloud initiative shows how IoT technology and cloud computing are already advancing Europe’s ambitious environmental goals.”
“MELCloud defines the state of the art for cloud-based control of air conditioning and heating systems,” said Donald Daw, Vice LES President for Mitsubishi Electric Europe.
“Adding Soracom’s reliable multi-carrier cellular connectivity gives MELCloud customers across Europe the power to optimize both comfort and energy efficiency at any time, from anywhere.”
