October 24, 2018
In recent years smart homes have evolved to provide comfort, entertainment, efficiency and ease of use to homeowners throughout New Zealand. However, new developments mean that smart homes are now integrating energy automation into systems already in place, enabling users to have a home that maximises energy use and reduces their carbon footprint. Why does clean energy matter? Clean energy, otherwise known as renewable energy, generally refers to energy sources or solutions that create less pollution, are more sustainable and are better for our natural environment. Examples of clean energy sources are hydroelectricity via turbines, geothermal heating or electricity, wind turbines, bioenergy from biological sources, solar energy, and marine energy from waves and tides. Solar power is currently most common way to incorporate renewable energy into your home. However, smart home integrators and providers are beginning to incorporate not only hardware elements but energy automation software into their offerings, advancing the possibilities of clean energy for people in New Zealand and beyond. Today, climate change is a high profile topic around the world, and finding smart solutions to generate clean energy in the home and save drawing as much power off the grid could have a ripple effect beyond the homeowner or family, to the wider community, utility companies and even the global environment. Smart homes and clean energy Tools and services designed to boost energy efficiency and sustainability in the home have existed for years, however in recent times these tools have begun to be integrated with smart homes to create a holistic system that significantly increases benefits and functionality. In smart homes of the future, solar and storage energy is incorporated to enhance how energy is used, and communication between devices provides key data points and the means to measure, control and manage energy. Smart software works to understand a home and the unique way it is used, bringing in elements such as load shedding, shaping energy use, using more or less energy on peak or off peak times, and coordinating regular power from the utility-managed electrical grid with alternative energy sources such as solar power. In addition, new energy-focused features can incorporate intelligent energy storage and usage with backup batteries and fail-safe options. When it comes to the home itself, a significant amount of energy is expended through home appliances, air conditioning and lighting. To combat this, smart homes can integrate automatic sensor lights and blinds, temperature sensors and the use of heating and cooling timers, and may even track the usage of each main appliance and give the homeowner the opportunity to schedule use times of these appliances, such as the dishwasher, on off peak times. Energy as part of a total system When integrated with existing intelligent systems, energy becomes another key feature to be accessed and controlled from the central touchscreen panel of a smart home. Homeowners have access to information about their energy consumption and can manage their energy usage as they would their lighting, music, security and other home elements. Crestron energy