[ Spotlight: Smart homes ] Making a move
If you are considering developing a smart home offering, consider the following points: n Invest in some training. While most electrical contractors will have no problem dealing with the technical angle, knowing about how standards and protocols impact on smart home deployment will be invaluable.
n Understand what’s possible. Contractors need to look at all the technology that can be included in a smart home.
n Talk to the customer. Don’t just assume that all customers will want the same thing. Talk to them and make sure that you fully understand their needs.
n Work with reputable manufacturers to put together solutions that offer your clients a range of options.
n Don’t over-specify. No one will want something that they won’t use. One option is to develop a solution designed to give a basic level of functionality in order to keep the cost down, while allowing for future upgrades.
n Plan ahead and carry out research. Take the time to make sure that an agreed strategy is in place before work commences and, if necessary, carry out an audit.
n Choose wisely. The communication between different technologies is key to developing a successful smart home, so make sure the products you are looking to install can do this.
n Keep in touch. This is a fast-moving market and new products and systems are being introduced all the time. Keep up-to-date with the latest developments via the ECA, websites and magazines such as ECA Today.
states: ‘We are increasingly seeing technology moving into products and solutions that have remained relatively unchanged for many years, with the glue binding them together being energy efficiency and controlling energy costs. With interest levels increasing in microgeneration, it’s likely that the smart home of the future will need to be able to understand when the optimum time to heat a home is or when to take power from the grid and store it.’ Smart technology is even making it possible for
patients who otherwise could not exist independently to continue to live at home safely and comfortably. For an elderly or physically challenged patient, a home equipped with an array of technologies that are integrated into a single system allows the monitoring of everything from their health to key aspects of their living conditions.
Limiting factors With an anticipated double-figure increase in prices for 2013, controlling energy consumption remains a key priority for consumers who don’t just want to use less of it, but also want to use it wisely. Even products such as electronic thermostatic
radiator valves now incorporate smart technology, and Chalmor’s i-Link allows these devices to be remotely controlled via an Apple iPhone, iPad or iTouch. Central heating systems are also available that, rather than heating an entire home, can be split into different zones so that they warm specific areas as and when required. The i-Link isn’t alone in
Smart home
technology can be used to integrate a wide variety of control systems
34 ECA Today March 2013
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