Siemens has purchased French start-up Wattsense to flesh out its smart building portfolio and ensure it meets tighter European emissions rules through compliance with the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The EPBD requires buildings in the service sector to be equipped with control and automation systems that improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, which Wattsense can help the German technology and consumer appliance conglomerate achieve through its range of compliant plug-and-play IoT management systems for small and mid-size buildings. Siemens said it was also attracted by the ability of Wattsense technology to make existing sensors, controls and monitoring devices IoT-enabled with wireless connectivity. Multi-protocol devices can be brought onboard relatively easily, before being connected to the cloud…