Energy Efficiency in smart home

Smart home devices are often pointed out as practical, affordable and energy-saving additions to your home. But can they actually save you money?

Still, plenty of consumers really don’t know much about them, or if they really can improve your life at home – for example, many buyers wonder if the Energy Efficiency in smart home savings touted by smart home companies is really all they say.

If that sounds like you, why not jump to the facts and see what the world has been saying about it? Experts, international organizations and companies have researched connected homes for the past few years, and it’s time for us to finally discover whether smart homes can help you save money on your utilities.

What Makes a Smart Home “Smart”?

Before we dive in, it’s essential to keep in mind what makes a house a smart home. The idea of home automation is part of make smart home concept, which is somewhat self-explanatory. Smart home basically means “giving life” to objects by using an internet connection so they can have extra features. In other words, a smart house is an integrated system of intelligent devices.

But can they also be energy-efficient?

Let’s see some examples below and learn if smart homes can also save you money on your bills According to calculations by the Fraunhofer Institute, intelligent house control can save up to 40 percent of heating costs. That is certainly the ideal scenario. After all, heating costs depend on many factors and therefore many manufacturers report savings of up to 30 percent per year which seems a realistic and achievable value.

How can smart home systems help control power consumption (Energy Efficiency in smart home)?

A big trend in the smart home sector is already visible today: home owners produce their own electricity by means of a photovoltaic system on the roof. To ensure that it is not up to the weather to decide whether enough power is available smart home technologies come into play. In the future the intelligent control of building services will ensure that unused electricity is either stored or used for devices whose power supply can be shifted in time.

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What are the possible uses of smart home for power consumption?

When saving power the rule goes: better turn off the devices completely than letting them run in stand-by mode. Most people do not know which electronic devices in their home use the most energy. Anyone who wants to get detailed with their consumption needs to get smart adapter plugs or wall buttons. With an adapter plug, users turn any electrical appliances on or off completely or measure the consumption to identify unknown power guzzlers. In smart home apps users can even see on-the-go if the devices which should be switched off are switched off – and can even turn them off remotely if necessary. Or residents deactivate all unnecessary electrical appliances with a single push-button when leaving their home.

How do smart home systems control the heating (Energy Efficiency in smart home)?

A smart thermostat is a fundamental part of any energy management system because a home’s heating and cooling system is one of the biggest Energy  consumers in the house. Smart home systems make many heaters programmable. If home owners are not present at certain times during the day, their radiators will automatically shut down. If they arrive home sooner than planned, they can access their smart home via an app on the go. For example it is not necessary to run the heating when nobody is at home during the day. But even when airing the heater does not have to be on. When the window is open, the heating in a networked home automatically settles down. Of course the heating can also be controlled manually whenever necessary.

Smart Home Devices For More Energy Responsibility

The devices’ respective apps in smart homes allow users to track Energy Efficiency in smart home usage over time. They can also get an estimate of how much they are paying for whatever they have plugged in. By and by this will have an impact on consumer behavior and will help people to be more energy conscious and, in the long run, responsible.

Task

The rising cost of Energy together with a more careful use of energy have moved up on our society’s agenda. For this reason, we need new solutions for the optimization of energy management – something that can be achieved by applying the KNX standard.

Saving energy is an increasingly important issue these days. While it seems obvious that the simplest way to Energy is just to use less, in practical terms it can be a lot more difficult. Smart home systems and devices help Energy by allowing the user to monitor and control Energy usage in new ways.

The Solution (Energy Efficiency in smart home)

Where KNX systems are installed, the residents are informed about their current energy consumption so that they can use it in the most economical way. When KNX is used to control and monitor the various domestic applications, total energy consumption will be reduced. Moreover, users can monitor their actual energy use on visual displays and have the opportunity to take action in order to reduce their consumption as much as possible, whether they are at home or away from it.

Implementation Solutions for an average home:

• Lighting control(MECEL)with capacity for the control of the whole house in zones or as a group.
• HVAC control with KNX (Intesis) capable of controlling any equipment on the market.
• Touch screens (JUNG and Zennio) will provide visual displays of the house.
• AGPRSmodule(Analasuslabs) will allow users to control the system when in the house or away from it.
• Smart Metering devices and software (Multidomo Networks) for metering the consumption of energy, water, gas etc.

Features

• Dimming of lighting to suit users’ needs

• Optic fibersensorsfor better night-time signaling

• Differentscenarios, according to the users’ needs

• Monitoring for system overload

• Integrated thermostat for easier use and control of HVAC equipment in order to get the best use

• Real-time monitoring and recording of data (temperature, consumption of energy, water, gas…) providing a general overview of use and allowing users to take further actions

Advantages

By integrating all applications into one single KNX installation, users have many options for easy and comprehensive monitoring with a control system that is intuitive to operate and use. In addition, there are the following advantages:

• The optic fiber sensors can be installed in any part of the house.

• Smart metering consumption will make users aware of wasted energy, allowing them to Energy Efficiency in smart home and money.

• The timer can be re-configured to suit individual needs and can also be stopped at any time.