Saving the planet one smart home at a time – HiddenWires

EDITORS CHOICE 06.04.20

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Climate change, environmental issues, global warming, carbon emissions, pollution these are all terms we hear every day in the news and something that is starting to be tackled across the world. Amy Wallington finds out how home automation can help reduce our carbon footprint.

Obviously, the best way to save energy is to use less, but that is not always easy. Consumers might think they are saving energy and money by having a smart meter in their home. That might be the case for some, but it is unlikely that people are using less energy than before just because they know their daily usage.

Instead, home technology can help homeowners save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. Often an initial expense will save money in the long run. However, Dean Reddy, product marketing specialist at ABB points out: There is often a misconception as homeowners think that a professionally installed home automation system would cost the earth. On average, a basic install will cost around two per cent of the overall value of the property. Studies have shown that you can save up to 30 per cent on utilities with an automation system compared to a conventional install.

This is a great opportunity for system integrators to use technology to create an efficient ecosystem in homes and actually make a difference. Yasemin Borg is the prescription manager at Schneider Electric and agrees: According to the 2019 Committee on Climate Change report, CO2 and hazardous gasses are mostly emitted from buildings. Considering that such systems and increasing awareness in society can help lower emissions, this is solid proof that a connected smart home is more beneficial than a normal home.

Climate change is a huge issue and we are starting to see the effects take shape through natural disasters, higher temperatures and melting ice caps, just to name a few. Most recently, we have seen the devastation in Australia caused by bushfires due to record high temperatures and no rainfall. Simon Johnson, UK sales manager at EnOcean recognises the problems: In view of the devastation climate change could have on the planet, we all need to do our bit and help reduce energy usage. Unfortunately, the majority of existing homes in the UK do not have any kind of active energy saving devices installed. New builds are improving with more stringent regulations on the actual construction, including better wall and loft insulation, more advanced door and window systems, and the drive away from fossil fuelled heating sources, but with regard to active controls, even new builds are a long way from being slightly clever, never mind smart.

Reddy thinks that the UK is behind the rest of Europe on standardising smart homes. He says: Unfortunately in the UK we are not building homes of the future that are adaptable or intelligent. We really do need to catch up with our European neighbours as they have been using home automation systems for the past 30 years.

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Using natural elementsIntegrator Adrian Brown, technical director of Alpha Touch Limited, thinks that home automation professionals are in a key position to take action against climate change. He recognises: As a tech industry, we should really be taking the lead in finding ways of making the best use of technology to make more efficient use of the energy available and particularly how we can harness the likes of sun, wind, water, and other natural elements.

Brown is experimenting with different smart energy technologies in his own home so that he knows what possibilities he can offer his customers to make their homes more efficient. In terms of smart energy, we have installed solar panels coupled with sonnen battery storage, discloses Brown. The solar panels are giving us free energy eventually, once [the investment is] paid back. Realistically that will probably take about 10 years. Yes, there is an upfront cost, but longer term, it will pay for itself.

In this particular case, Brown recognised that he could use a Loxone system to make more efficient use of the excess energy created from the solar panels. He explains: Rather than exporting the excess energy back to the grid, we can harness it and use it ourselves, and using Loxone, we can prioritise where it goes. Initially, when the solar panels are generating power, the primary source is whatever the house is currently consuming on a day to day basis. Once the house has met its demand from the solar panels, it is creating excess energy which can then be used to charge electric vehicles for example.

In our case, once the solar panels have recharged the battery and the house has met its consumption, we divert the excess energy to an immersion heater, he continues. Rather than heating up the hot water tank from oil which is fossil fuel based, we can use that excess energy to heat the immersion heater to get our hot water, and weve saved on the cost of the oil and its better for the environment.

According to Gavin Stokes, country manager UK, sonnen UK, Brown has the best solution for an energy efficient home: From our point of view, one of the most efficient solutions for a household to become sustainable and energy efficient is to produce its own energy. With a photovoltaic (PV) system, up to 75 per cent of the annual demand can be covered by clean solar power. Additional energy from the grid is only needed in case of long bad weather periods or on shorter days in the winter.

A battery storage system like the sonnenBatterie is the heart of this solution. It integrates a smart energy manager that optimises the usage of the self-produced energy. Therefore, the homeowner doesnt have to change their habits.

He continues: Coming from an energy perspective, the smart control of the sonnenBatterie and its own energy supply has clear advantages over a conventional system. After all, the aim of energy management is to enable households to generate as much solar power as possible themselves. To achieve this, the software synchronises itself with the current weather forecasts, for example, then decides when the electricity should be stored or if it should be consumed in the house. A smart control system can have a very strong positive influence on the efficiency and sustainability of a house.

Adrian Brown, Alpha Touch Limited, had solar panels installed into his own home.

When it comes to home automation and energy efficiency, a lot of the time, it can simply be down to how a system is programmed. Brown recognised Loxones strengths in automation and utilised this to create an efficient home system.

He explains: The most efficient way of running a Loxone system is for it to be zoned, so that rather than having a traditional radiator system which heats up the whole house on one circuit, the Loxone system is zoned so that heat is not diverted to rooms that are not being used. It all comes down to programming how the property is making use of its energy and diverting the energy to where its required the most. Integrators need to think very carefully about how people use their houses, while also making intelligent use of how that house is occupied.

Start with the basicsThe best and simplest way to start being energy smart using technology is by automating the basics, which not only makes the homeowners life easier, but also makes it more energy efficient without really trying. The aim of home automation is to facilitate processes at home in a smart way, while serving to individual taste, says Borg. You can start being more energy efficient by monitoring, controlling and programming your heating, ventilation, lighting and home entertainment systems.

Something as simple as motion sensors and PIRs can make a big difference when conserving energy in the home. With many of them being battery-less, its an even better solution to install into peoples homes.

Connected things allow people to easily automate tasks that were once manual, and this automation allows for objects to easily follow schedules or occupants based on sensing technologies, explains Chris LaPr, solutions architect, Zigbee Alliance. For example, using motion features of smart thermostats and switches, temperatures can be lowered or lights turned off when rooms are deemed unoccupied. Gone are the days when people waste energy by leaving lights or devices on when leaving a room or the house.

Taking advantage of greener methods of creating power, Zigbee Alliance has a feature called Green Power, which allows battery-less devices to quickly join Zigbee PRO networks. These types of sensors that dont rely on batteries are extremely eco-friendly and keep waste out of landfills, LaPr says. Rather than relying on batteries, smart switches can be powered using energy resources that are often overlooked such as motion, light or vibration.

For example, Green Power takes advantage of the energy thats used to flip a light switch. That tiny burst of energy is actually powerful enough to send on/off commands to a wireless network, removing the need to use batteries. Today, we primarily see Green Power integrated into smart homes via smart switches, which can often be an easy retrofit option to have a switch wherever its desired.

Built around energy harvesting wireless technology, EnOcean also creates battery-less solutions for an eco-friendly home. Johnson agrees that sensors are a vital element of an eco-friendly home. EnOcean creates a sensor that is positioned near a window. It then senses that the window is open and doesnt allow the heating to be turned on until the window is closed. In Europe, and especially in Germany, thats common place. But in the UK, the amount of buildings you go into where the windows are open and the heating is on, its madness and it shouldnt be allowed to happen. Using a simple window contact that links back to an actuator on the boiler for example, means that if someone opens a window, it automatically turns the heating off. Its common sense when you think about it, but we are slow to adopt it in the UK.

Johnson also suggests that another basic and inexpensive thing to do is to have an ALL ON/OFF switch near the front door or near a bedroom for night use. This can be programmed to control everything that does not need to be on when youre not home or asleep realistically, anything other than the fridge freezer and security alarm as a simple way of turning all appliances off, rather than leaving them on standby.

From an integrators perspective, these solutions are not particularly expensive and it may not be a huge money maker, but these small and simple changes make ethical sense. It also opens the market up to the middle and lower ends, which could in turn increase your business.

Set it and forget itAs previously mentioned, despite containing a lot more technology, smart homes are naturally more eco-friendly and energy efficient than an un-smart home. LaPr agrees with this and thinks the set it and forget it system is the reason why.

He states: Evolving smart technologies brings a host of new possibilities to not only make humans more efficient with their energy use, but more efficient with their time around the home too. The ability to create rules such as, turn the light off in room after 30 minutes of no motion or, turn down the thermostat when an area is unoccupied for 30 minutes can reduce energy waste.

Adrian Brown's energy monitor shows how much energy is produced through solar panels.

Smart shades offer another option to save energy by automatically raising and drawing shades depending on the weather, temperature inside or outside, or time of day. This ability to set it and forget it delivers rewards in both energy savings, comfort and an overall satisfying smart home experience. Leveraging the convenience of your phone and the cloud, consumers can check on devices, or be alerted, and adjust accordingly. These are things you cannot do in a non-connected home.

The Internet of Things (IoT) plays a big part in energy efficient smart homes, and again, is more appealing to the lower ends of the market as a more affordable, off-the-shelf solution that can help them to reduce energy waste. This is also something that the government has recognised, hence the roll out of smart meters. Although smart meters wont necessarily save you energy and money, it does make homeowners more aware of what they are using.

The benefits of IoT in terms of sustainability and efficiency has increased greatly over the last 20 years, explains Borg. Our devices now communicate with each other as we communicate with them. This growth in connectivity is only expected to increase.

The home automation market is currently considered to be in an early high development growth stage, which is forecasted to grow by a further 50 per cent between 2019 and 2023. The government has also officially signed the Net Zero target, which is to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

She continues: There is over 400 million to be invested in public and private buildings, which includes the smart meters program and other innovations bringing energy efficient solutions to the residential space. While the government is publishing policies, investing in infrastructure development and technology is key to be part of this social change.Europe vs. USDont worry, this isnt going to become a political debate! But there is a point to be made that energy prices across Europe are a lot higher than in the US. That might sound like a bad thing to us on this side of the pond but it actually encourages consumers across Europe to invest in smart home technology to make it cheaper for themselves.

According to LaPr: Right now there is a dichotomy between Europe and America. Europeans pay three times as much for energy as the US, so an investment in smart devices for energy savings has a higher return of investment (ROI) for homeowners.

We have all heard Trumps fake news claims about climate change, but all the while the American government are subsidising energy costs, consumers are not encouraged to think about solutions to create a more energy efficient solution.

In countries like the US, the government subsidises much of the energy costs and Americans dont feel the savings impact right now, continues LaPr. If the subsidising stops for any reason in the future and energy prices skyrocket, Americans would probably become more aware and interested in smart energy device investments within their homes.

Statistics from the last few years show that Germany usually pays the most in Europe in energy costs. However it has one of the highest levels of energy efficiency in Europe, according to a 2018 KfW Research report.

Supporting this, Stokes explains how sonnen works in the country: In Germany, we digitally connect the households with each other, so that the surplus of energy which is not needed or stored by the households themselves can be shared with other households in the sonnenCommunity. The remaining grid electricity in return that the household cannot produce itself also comes from renewable energy sources. In recent years, the largest decentralised energy-sharing platform in the world has thus been grown.

We also use a virtual power plant to offer the available storage capacity of the digitally networked sonnenBatteries as a buffer for the power grid. This way, fluctuations in the production of renewable energy can be balanced out in a matter of seconds.

Regional variationsThe UK is also playing a big part in the race to being green, although more can be done. Sonnen recognises the fact that each country has different needs and policies. In principle, it is possible for a household to have its own energy supply with a PV system and a storage system all over Europe, explains Stokes. However, the regulations on the energy market are different in each country, so we adapt our offering.

In addition to Germany, we already have virtual power plants from decentralised home storage systems in Italy and the UK. In the UK we are working with Centrica as part of the local energy management project as well as with a wide range of other forward thinking companies.

One of the biggest things stopping people having smart energy in their homes is the cost, and many say that the government should be doing a lot more to utilise the technology and expertise to help in the fight against climate change.

Theres a lot in the news at the moment about climate change and I think its becoming more and more urgent that we do something, states Brown. As a tech industry, we should be taking the lead in harnessing technology in the best possible way, not just in this country but around the world, to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and make the best of renewables. I think technology can do that.

He continues: I think the government can do a lot more in helping the industry. We decided to install solar panels last summer because we knew that on the 1st October 2019, the VAT on renewables was going to increase from five per cent to 20 per cent. By very stark contrast, fossil fuels coal, oil, etc the VAT was going to stay the same. That doesnt give people an incentive to invest in technology to make their homes more eco-friendly. I strongly believe that the government could do a lot more and reverse that; either reduce the VAT back to where is was or abolish it altogether and put high VAT rates on coal and oil.

Reddy agrees but also thinks builders should play a part too. He states: Although we work with various departments to ensure the technology is considered for government projects, we would certainly like to see the government driving this change. We would welcome a change in legislation so all new builds and rewires have to include an element of control. People are more conscious of the environment and are always looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Homeowners are also becoming more aware and accepting of technology and the benefits it can bring. In the future, I see home automation systems being installed as standard by developers alongside smart appliances.

Stokes thinks the investment in self-sufficient energy supplies is worthwhile. A current generation sonnenBatterie can be used for up to 20 years and a PV system for more than 30 years. In Germany, the investment is paid off after 9-12 years for the average household. After that, they produce and use their clean electricity free of charge.

He continues: There are regional subsidy programmes that provide financial support for investing in own energy supplies. The background to such government support is often that storage is the key technology for a successful energy transition in every country. This is because they can balance out fluctuations in the production of wind and solar energy in a matter of seconds and thus make renewable energy suitable for base load to some extent.

Old habits die hardThe move to have more smart energy in homes is definitely beginning to happen. It needs more development, investment and education but its certainly starting to take some sort of shape. Our everyday devices and utilities are now being built with energy saving features or some sort of intelligence to make it more eco-friendly and efficient.

Johnson points out: I think a lot of appliances going forward will have some sort of intelligence built in. Appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers, fridge freezers and so one will become intelligent and turn themselves on or off depending on when they are most likely to be used, for example.

He also thinks that old habits die hard and we need to work harder to educate consumers about home automation and the environment. Ultimately, I think cost will always hold people back. We are also very traditional in the way we wire houses so I think anyone who tries to divert too much away from the standard system that we have got will probably struggle because we are frightened of change. If we can use an existing system and just stick bits on to make it intelligent, I think thats probably the way to go. Maybe in the future, houses will be wired totally different, but history would say probably not; we have been doing it this way for 50-60 years. I think the way forward is sticking things to the end that will make it intelligent, I dont think anything will change with regard to that.

However, technology companies are recognising the issues and finding ways they can make a difference. Many are entering into partnerships to create new innovations that will make new technologies that are energy efficient.

Apart from the legislation driving home energy automation, 24 of the largest and most innovative electrotechnical manufacturing companies, including Schneider Electric, are announcing a major commitment to reduce their emissions to net zero by 2050, Borg admits. This is an industry-wide campaign and will influence market trends of the future.

Ultimately, as Borg says: To reduce the effects of climate change, home automation will become a serious requirement, rather than being a luxury investment.

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Saving the planet one smart home at a time - HiddenWires