Smart House and Home Automation Reaches the Mainstream
We all have those days when the rain pours down as we juggle our groceries to the door and we just can’t seem to get our key in the door and turn the knob with an elbow but somehow we get inside, even if we look like we belong in the circus. No one left a light on and you walk gingerly across the dark kitchen…in one fast swoop you are on the ground and sitting on delicate groceries. Nobody really wanted eggs for breakfast in the morning anyway, right?
We have all found ourselves frustrated with our homes, wondering if they scheme to complicate our lives by being overly cold, too hot, with leaky faucets and a microwave that burns popcorn. Imagine if your home could anticipate these issues before they developed into problems? Home automation is becoming the solution for life’s little inconveniences and also troubleshoots more complicated situations. When you draw up your luxury house floor plans, home automation is an excellent option to include.
The National Research Center of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) started The Smart House Project in the early 1980s to develop one centralized system to control all distribution and communication signals in a home. Basically, they wanted to give the home a “brain” that would be responsible for safety, comfort and the overall efficiency of everything inside and this was home automation.
Home automation is also called smart house technology or domotics and is becoming more mainstream with each technological advance. The basic setup for a home automation system starts with a home computer and structured wiring. Because of the wiring constraints in an older home, many people choose to install a home automation system when they build. As you choose your luxury dream home plans, consider the benefits of including a home automation system. Structured wiring is rapidly becoming the new standard in home building and includes a multi-conductor cable with electric power wire, video and telephone communication cables and other conductors controlling supply and switching power among home appliances. For example, structured wiring will enable you to program your home to turn on the hall light when the garage door opens at night. Occupants can use cell phones, a laptop and wall mounted keypads to monitor their smart homes. You can specify one of these methods for your system or a variety of means that are unique to your home.
Before you get excited about showing off your system to your neighbors and relatives, consider the aspects of your home you want to control by home automation. The market is overloaded with impressive gadgets and technology that can overwhelm even the educated consumer. After all, if you are not a music lover, do you really want an intercom to pipe satellite radio through all the rooms? If you prefer your family does not eat dinner in front of the television, do you really need that LCD television in the door of your refrigerator. Before you indulge in technology, ask yourself:
•What will save me time?
•What will make my daily routine more comfortable?
•What will make my home safer?
When you install home automation, safety is an ideal place to begin as you choose your luxury home plan. A person can rest peacefully knowing that automated curtains and lights will simulate someone being at your house when you are gone. How about fire alarms that alert emergency personnel by flashing lights and opening doors when heat or smoke is detected?
Safety components you can put in a smart home include:
•Home awareness systems so your home detects a water or gas leak, takes the precautions of shutting down that utility and alerts you to the problem by sending a message to your cell phone or sounding an alarm.
•Monitored circuits cut power automatically at the sign of a short circuit or failure and you are immediately alerted.
•Entryway status that alerts you when doors and windows are left open, as well as closes and locks all doors and windows at the push of a button.
•Selective outlets only provide power to outlets with appliances plugged in and turned on.
After safety, efficiency is your next important consideration. Some simple daily tasks are also the most tedious. Imagine the convenience of a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer that could determine on their own the most cost effective time to run. Smart homes appreciate lower utility costs. Automated homes monitor themselves for ineffective insulation and let you know about the necessary repair. They offer varying power levels to electrical outlets so small adapters for each appliance can be eliminated. Smart homes turn off appliances that waste electricity and run heating and cooling to the preferred setting of the occupant.
Next comes the aspect many of us consider to be the most important of all - comfort. A home that adapts to your preferences and gets to know you is a total luxury. Smart homes allow occupants to automate anything to their personal whim. There are sophisticated home automation systems that take voice command, can tell one occupant from another and retain each person’s preferences so they can adjust the room settings to that person’s tastes when they enter the room. Settings include temperature, humidity, lighting and favorite television or music styles. Even the household pet gets preferred treatment with an electronic dog door that opens for an animal wearing the special collar. Your smart home can provide unlimited comforts.
With the concept of comfort comes easy accessibility. Many smart homes are the result of universal design which takes a new look at products, environments and services to alter them to provide easy access to anyone regardless of circumstance, ability or age. People can live on their own with a home automation system rather than relying on others for everyday tasks. Smart home designs place sensors to detect a fall and your home can even alert emergency personnel if necessary. Sinks, cupboards and counters can be automated to lower themselves for people with wheelchairs and can return to the previous height for other household members to use.
There are many home automation options that can be applied to universal design. Every smart home is as unique as the people living in it.
Once you decide what you want from your home automation, think about these considerations:
•Who handles repairs if your system has a meltdown?
•What does technology change mean to your system with regard to upgrades, compatibility, etc?
•Is the system user-friendly for the whole family?
•Will you be able to reprogram your system if you find it is more than you can handle?
Once you compile your questions and desires, it is advisable to seek an expert to purchase and install your home automation system. Home automation can be a simple or complex as you want. Collaborating with an expert keeps you from becoming overwhelmed so you can find the best system for your preferences, and you can just sit back and appreciate the great communication between you and your home.
October 7th, 2007 at 1:47 am
But what if your home could anticipate these situations before they became problems? Home automation is gradually becoming the solution to more of life’s little inconveniences, as well as troubleshooting some more complicated concerns.