Articles and whitepapers

Environmental Control - Inside and Out (2/2/2004)

By Kay Gosling

In a world of rapidly-increasing technological advances, the consumer is demanding ever higher quality standards in the home environment, and wants environmental control systems that exploit technology in order to get the most from an integrated home automation system.

An environmental control system encompasses all of those aspects of home automation that relate to ecological conditions, such as heat, light and humidity. The clever features of environmental control can be found in almost any type of property. Based on ever-developing high-tech innovations, energy resources and water sources can be directed by a central control panel within the property. More and more opportunities are available, especially in new homes, for environmental control systems to monitor climatic conditions and control energy demands and ventilation.

Features and benefits

A typical system can work from a single panel that operates lights, heating, curtains or window shutters, and even plant irrigation! Savings can be made in terms of cost (for example if lights are on only when the room is being used) and in terms of time (for example if someone does not have to check that all the lights are turned off before leaving the house).

Technological advances mean that an increasing range of equipment is available using wireless technology. Consequently, control panels and appliances do not have to be hard-wired into your internal walls, thus allowing flexibility of use in the home and the purchase of new hardware.

The WeatherHawk weather station providing readings of external conditions

An automatic weather station can be attached to the control panel using either wireless or RS-232 connections, to give accurate readings of external conditions which can be compared to pre-programmed settings so that suitable environmental control can be maintained. Real-time weather data from a weather station such as the WeatherHawk, can directly feed both a home computer for personal weather information, and a home automation system. Indeed Crestron (www.crestron.com) offers a WeatherHawk-compatible driver, while the Lantronics Premise Home system driver is available from WeatherHawk at no charge.

External environment readings displayed on a home computer for personal weather information

Controlling the environment

An environmental control system can influence a number of features. Switches can be programmed to react to sunlight by opening or closing screens or drapes and shutters that can be adjusted to take account of the intensity of the sun, thus saving furniture from damage. The solar radiation reading from a weather station can also trigger the control system to open and close window coverings at night, thus making it appear that the home is occupied even if no-one is there.

Timer or thermostat control is fundamental in terms of the wider capability of home automation for heating and ventilation control. Indoor thermostats can be used to control one- or two-stage heating and/or air-conditioning systems, with temperature and humidity information being displayed on an LCD panel. A weather station outside can keep an eye on temperature extremes - no longer is it necessary to leave the heating on low when away from home, just in case the pipes freeze!

Water conservation is an escalating environmental and financial concern, with more and more water meters being installed in the UK. Timer-based lawn irrigation controllers generally deliver too much water, both wasting water and encouraging expensive lawn treatment, and so ultimately contributing to pollution. A weather station that provides input to a home control system can provide ETo (evapotranspiration) information so that lawn and garden irrigation systems maximise water conservation and environmental protection, with the bonus of a lower water bill.

And those lucky enough to have either an indoor or outdoor swimming pool can rely on the environmental control system to keep the water at the required temperature only when there is somebody in the house who may want to use the pool. It is even possible for the control system to remotely operate the pool heating and calculate the best time to start the heating system so that the water temperature is perfect when the householder arrives.

Summary

An environmental control system is, of course, a big investment. The purchaser must shop around to get the right supplier of a control system. Recommendation is the best way to find the one to suit - but in any case, references of a similar type/size of building are desirable in order to establish that the supplier is suitable and 'speaks the language' - both literally and metaphorically!

Finally, a versatile and expandable system should be able to accommodate changes such as the building of an extension to the property or, thanks to new technological developments, a cost-effective upgrade.

Kay Gosling is the Marketing Officer for WeatherHawk - an automatic weather station that offers flexibility in terms of type and presentation of data.

www.weatherhawk.co.uk