Articles and whitepapers

Home Automation and Energy Management - the Future for Custom Installers (4/1/2010)

By Simon Buddle, SMC

One might well ask, 'What is automation and what is its value?' Control systems have long been the plaything of the rich and techno savvy. In days gone by people were pretty pleased if they could open their garage door without the need to get out of the car. Things have come a long way since then. Building management systems are standard in most commercial buildings and offices, so what can we expect from a modern-day system?

Interconnected sub-systems performing essential tasks without the need for client involvement? A system capable of making informed choices on behalf of the home owner, an eco-butler? Home automation can only be considered a benefit if it enhances a home owner's lifestyle and makes technology easier to use.

We've all seen flat panels disappear behind walls, under beds, and in ceilings. Companies such as Future Automation can provide you with all of the necessary bits of metal and electronics to make it happen. This is a great use of automation to provide a client with a clean room that is aesthetically in keeping with the interior designer's concept. But while invaluable as part of the service that CI dealers offer, it is pretty much old hat.

Get to grips with IP

Almost every piece of electronics in the home now is a PC in disguise. Ethernet has landed. For years now, CEDIA has been telling companies to get involved with IP or get a new career. If you have no skateboarding geeks in your company, who think that binary watches are cool, then you've probably missed the boat. For those that have, we have some fantastic opportunities in front of us. BMS (Building Management System) products are now relatively inexpensive and ready for the domestic marketplace. Whether your control system is large, small, or non-existent, with some relatively simple interconnects between systems we can enable some pretty clever automation.

Internet browsers gives us a unified UI and access to much of the data required to make choices for our clients. Do we know if a home is occupied or not? Of course the security system will provide the answer. Feed that piece of information into the control system and you have the beginnings of a BMS. Add lighting control, heating and cooling control and we can quickly add real value for the home owner.

Energy management

There's one other piece in this jigsaw which we should embrace and indeed have the opportunity as an industry to become market leaders in, and that is energy monitoring. There are many products available now that can harvest information on energy use in the home. Presenting this to a client in a simple and intelligent way in order that they can make informed choices about their lifestyle surely has to be the remit of all CI professionals. We are perfectly placed - we understand the house electronic systems, the Ethernet, and with a little effort, can display the data in a meaningful way for the end user. Products from Synetica, and AlertMe can provide you with the data.

The Synetica DataStream is an Internet-connected device for the collection, storage and transmission of data for energy management.

The AlertMe Nano Hub, part of the AlertMe Energy system, talks securely to the AlertMe service on the Internet so you can monitor and control your home's energy usage anywhere in the world.

What can we do for our clients?

We already know that we can use the security system as an occupancy signal. Connect this signal to the lighting and heating, and instantly we have not only some automation possibilities but also energy saving by automatically switching off the lights and heating - double brownie points! Intelligent use of PIRs (passive infra-red detectors) can also be used to obtain room occupancy status. This is particularly useful in communal areas of houses such as stairs and hallways where lights may stay on for hours unnecessarily.

Control of 230V AC power in the home has become increasingly important over the last few years. The 'Sky reset' is well documented, but more than that, we now have the ability to turn off equipment that is not being used. IP-controlled mains switches should feature in all well-designed systems and do offer a real cost saving to the end user.

Advice for the future

We will, I hope, see more open protocol systems, all communicating via Ethernet. Beware the proprietary systems and closed protocols. Understanding Wi-Fi and remote monitoring are musts for all CIs. With a well-chosen data switch at the heart of the network, most devices on the network can be controlled, POE wireless access points reset, and network traffic monitored. It ought to be seen as a minimum requirement for our automated systems to report back to us through the Internet, informing us of problems.

Conclusion

Everything discussed here can be achieved without the need for a sophisticated control system but merely by the use of each product's capabilities, a bit of clever interconnection, and a small amount of programming. Go and take a look at the KNX-enabled product set and you'll see what I mean.

It is time for us custom installers to begin to reach a little further in to our clients homes, gathering and storing information, making intelligent choices, controlling power, and saving energy. We should be installing systems that are automated and optimised, in the background of our clients’ lives, that enhance but do not invade, their lives.

Simon Buddle is the Technical Director of SMC, AV systems integration consultants and installers.

www.smc-uk.com

Other useful links
www.synetica.net
www.alertme.com