SMART HOMES & SUSTAINABILITY


owners, it can advise when the best time to charge your car may be, for example, when the tariff is lowest or excess solar power is available. Consumers with solar panels can also maximise their use by monitoring their own solar energy production levels. Solar users can maximise their use of renewable energy and ensure their panels are working effectively, improving their even further.


carbon footprint The second innovation is the Acti9


Active, bringing improved safety and power reliability into homes. Does your TV or Internet connection cut out when there’s a storm? Are there too many loads on the electrical outlet behind the TV when your children are playing video games? Or are you living in one of the many aging properties across Europe with outdated electrical infrastructure? The Acti9 Active will notify you when faults such as overloading or corrosion or detected, allowing you to fix any issues before they become major problems. This form of active prevention brings much needed peace of mind to homeowners. The third piece of the smart ecosystem revealed is the efficient


5I


Temperature Control system that controls room temperature so accurately, powered by AI and Machine Learning, helping reduce


with loved ones,


play energy bills by


up to 50 per cent without compromising on comfort. Its unique room-by-room control feature allows you to manage your heating systems more efficiently by accurately estimating the heating characteristics per room, rather than for the whole home. A second feature that will soon be added is ‘open window detection’. If a window is left open, the heating will be paused, a notification sent to the user, and it will wait to resume heating until the window is shut. The benefits of both these features are two-fold; make significant savings on your electricity bill and reduce your climate impact.


Manish Pant, CEO & EVP Home


& Distribution, says: “Homes are more than just a roof over our heads. They are the place we spend time


games with family, cook our favourite meals and feel safe. But their carbon footprint is growing. Demand for electricity is set to double over the coming decades. Creating sustainable homes will be crucial to reducing global warming and achieving a net-zero future. Our new Wiser range of smart energy saving products are a significant step forward on the path to sustainability because they give consumers an unprecedented level of information and control over their home energy use.


“The first generation of


smart home products gave us room by room comfort control. Today, Schneider Electric is adding room-by- room energy consumption and in the future, carbon emissions information. By helping people better understand where their energy is consumed, the impact it has on the planet and enabling them to reduce use without


HOME ENERGY HACKS TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT


f the world is to meet the ambitious goals of


the Paris


Climate Agreement, including having 121 nations achieve


net zero emissions by 2050, we need to reinvent the way we consume energy in our homes. Consider the serious climate


impact that home energy use represents: In 2019, homes produced approximately one-third of global CO2 emissions; residential electricity use will increase twofold by 2050; homes will become the largest energy-consumption segment by 2050,


representing 36 per cent of


global electricity use. The European Union (EU) is committed to


achieving climate


neutrality, with targets of 40 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by mid-century. Member countries have enacted regulations to ensure that these targets will be reached. By making our homes more efficient and sustainable, we can help achieve such goals while enjoying immediate


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economic benefits. Here are five steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint:


Put your home’s energy hogs on a diet


Do you know that more than half of the energy you use in your home is for heating and air conditioning? Water heaters, lighting, and refrigeration account for another 27 per cent. By making sure your energy-hungry systems and appliances have high efficiency ratings, you can put a sizeable dent in your monthly electricity bill.


Pave the way for an electric vehicle According to one industry source, annual sales of electric vehicles (EVs) will reach 245 million by the end of the decade, more than 30 times above today’s level. Installing a charging station in your garage readies you to transition to an EV. And while having one will increase your electricity consumption, you can offset that cost by installing photovoltaic panels at the same time. As many as 40 per cent of EV drivers in surveyed countries


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have rooftop solar. Which brings us to the next home energy hack.


Install solar, reap savings


The upswing in photovoltaic- generated energy in the European Union (EU) is accelerating. In 2019, 26 of the 28 EU member states installed more solar than in the previous year. Contributing to this growth is the fact that solar power is often cheaper than any other technology today – retail electricity for sure and, increasingly, wholesale power, as well.


Get smart about smart homes Digitally connected


homes changing the way people


around the globe. Smart devices allow you to practice active energy management via a smart phone or Internet connection from anywhere at any time. And automation lets you adjust your energy consumption for the season. For example, with winter on the way, you can program your thermostat to reduce your heating output while you are at work and then raise the temperature shortly before you return home. Informed


4 are live


compromising their lifestyles, moves us closer to sustainable homes.” Schneider Electric’s Wiser product range combines the power of connectivity, sensors and analytics to create a complete ecosystem to transform homes, allowing people to manage their home energy consumption wisely


and reduce


the environmental impact of their dwellings from their mobile device app. The transformation from smart homes to sustainable smart homes is now underway.


PRICING AND AVAILABILITY


PowerTag: From £44 Acti9 Active: From £53 - £71 Smart temperature control system: Kits from £139.99 - £219.99


Products will be available between Q4 2020 and Q1 2021, depending on countries. For more details, visit: www.se.com/uk


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by energy usage data gathered from your smart devices, you can increase your home’s efficiency, safety, and comfort.


Insulate your home Insulation provides resistance to heat flow, thereby minimising heat loss in the winter and heat infiltration in the summer. With insulation in place, heating and cooling systems are not overworked, and comfort is increased.


Reinventing the electric home Imagine having efficient access to the best electric power available, when and where you need it and from a mix of sources, including the grid, wind, solar, batteries, microgrids, and others. That’s what’s possible in a smart home equipped by Schneider Electric. We give you digital control over electric power usage across your entire house, all from the palm of your hand or at the sound of your voice. We can even alert you when there’s a potential power problem on the horizon. And soon we will enable you to monitor your energy bill room by room without changing your electrical panel.


By Manish Pant, CEO & VP of Home & Distribution, Schneider Electric


SEPTEMBER 2020 DIY WEEK 25


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