Homeowners are increasingly conscious of how their lifestyle can impact the fragile environment, and they recognize it even more so on Earth Day. While engaging in sustainable practices and purchasing energy efficient appliances is certainly beneficial, there is a more permanent and reliable solution available that changes how homes use energy. According to Core Brands, manufacturer of the award-winning ELAN control and automation system, homeowners can use home automation systems like ELAN to automatically and continuously conserve energy.
“Through a home automation system, various subsystems can be set to respond to each other in a way that conserves energy,” Core BrandsDirector of Business Development Joe Lautner explained. “A window opening can automatically turn off the air conditioning in that particular area, and smart shades can be programmed to lower during the height of the summer day to block the sun out — keeping the home cooler without having to turn on the air conditioning. The opportunities are vast because these elements work together to create an energy-conscious system.”
Home automation offers control over every important system within a residence, such as climate (HVAC), lighting, shades, irrigation,entertainment and security through a connected system accessed by a mobile app or proprietary remotes and touch screens. In addition to allowing a homeowner to shut off the lights or adjust the shades with a single command, the home automation platform lets these systems “talk” to each other. Particularly, home automation allows the systems to react on a customized basis to seasons, time, motion, occupancy, temperature, humidity and other conditions. This means that homeowners can configure certain actions to occur autonomously on a regular basis throughout the year.
Additionally, automation systems allow homeowners to monitor their energy consumption in real time, and refer to past usage to adjust their activity. They can view the history of their HVAC system, monitor indoor and outdoor temperatures, and configure settings to adjust how they can optimize their heating or air conditioning in the future. Automation systems can also monitor the power consumption of the home’s devices, which helps to avoid “phantom power,” an effect common in products with “standby” mode, consuming power without needing it at the time.
According to Lautner, easy-to-use automation systems are already being integrated into LEED-certified homes across the country. The “Sunset Green Home” project in Southampton, New York was built with an ELAN automation system to maximize the economical use of lights, shades/drapes, ceiling fans, HVAC, and outdoor systems such as landscape lighting and irrigation, ensuring that all measures were taken to conserve energy without sacrificing comfort or convenience.
While most homeowners know that conserving energy is important, taking the first steps towards living more sustainably can be difficult. “By integrating a home automation system, eco-minded homeowners can easily begin working towards a more sustainable lifestyle without altering their day-to-day routine,” Lautner concluded. “It’s an all-encompassing, simple solution to the problem of wasteful energy use that can make a big impact.”