News

TAHI smart house conference opens its doors (26/10/2005)

A group of innovative universities and companies is appealing to the house-building industry, local authorities and healthcare chiefs to help hasten the public's embrace of smart house technologies.

The smart house lifestyle could be the norm in the UK within the next five years - but only if consumers have the option of using it, says TAHI (The Application Home Initiative), a not-for-profit group whose members include FTSE 100 companies, SME businesses and leading research organisations.

People in the construction, health and welfare industries are being invited to discover the enormous potential of smart technologies and hear from pioneers in their own fields at next month's TAHI Conference. It is the first time that TAHI has opened its doors to people outside the future technology sector.

TAHI's marketing director, Mike Windsor, said: "Smart technology will revolutionise life, making it more comfortable, convenient and secure. The technology is already out there; the biggest hurdle now is getting consumers to embrace it. That is why we want the involvement of those who build our homes and take care of our health and welfare services - they touch our daily lives and have a crucial role to play in transforming the smart home from concept to reality."

Smart house trailblazers speaking at the conference include BT, energy providers EDF, York University's Centre for Usable Home Technology, Bryant Homes, Kent County Council, intelligent buildings specialists iandi, Severn Trent Water, Initial Community Care, system integrators Tridium, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's national DigiTV community project.

A smart house is defined as one where all electronic equipment and services - from the washing machine, gas meter, lighting and heating to the television and sound system - are networked and can be controlled remotely via the p.c and mobile phone.

Home security can be monitored from the office or holiday beach; emails can be read on the TV screen, the fridge will order shopping on the internet and if you leave the lights on a monitor will raise the alarm that energy is being wasted.

Telecare and telemedicine services enabled by smart technology will allow elderly people to enjoy living independently for longer, and unnecessary trips to the doctor or hospital will be a thing of the past.

Earlier this year TAHI members completed a programme of high-level dti-backed trials in conjunction with Loughborough and Heriot Watt universities to demonstrate and promote interoperability between different appliances and services and to test consumer attitudes to smart appliances which were installed in their own homes.

The TAHI Conference in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire on November 17 will be preceded on November 16 by a review of the trials.

www.theapplicationhome.com/2005Conference/2005Conference.html