Toshiba's smart home and smart community vision. Click on the image to see the video.
Systems integration: I hate that term. It’s so technical and cold—so devoid of emotion. So not consumer-friendly. And yet so right.
Yet “systems integration” can be more than just tying various home subsystems into a common user interface. It can be a heck of a lot more—and unfortunately, much of that remains untapped.
I was recently reminded of this while perusing a press release for an “Energy Efficient Homes” research report by Pike Research.
Pike defines energy-efficient housing as built to exceed the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code by 15 percent on a kilowatt-hour per square foot basis. You don’t have to be able to comprehend that, though, because here is what caught my eye:
In order to achieve this level of energy savings … home builders and retrofitters must adopt a systems approach to home design and construction, integrating all aspects of home operation.
This holistic, systems-wide approach to home building is being embraced by green architects and builders, who more and more are designing homes and buildings with widely disparate systems—from insulation to HVAC to lighting—that are not intended to stand alone.
It’s About the Whole Systems
In true green building, every part of the house has an affect on another part. The amount of insulation will largely determine how big a heating and cooling system is needed. The roof and placement of the home to the south and west sun can affect heating, cooling, lighting, shading and ventilation. Lighting and cooling will have an effect on how much electricity is used, and that will have an effect on how large a solar electric or other energy source may be required. Everything becomes connected.
True systems integration can do the same. We’re already seeing this with systems like Somfy’s TaHomA (with stands for Total Home Automation), which operates on the “energy triangle” of HVAC, lighting, and motorized shading. The shades come down, and the HVAC system doesn’t need to run as much. The shades go up, and the lights can turn off.
In an off-the-grid home (one that is completely self-powered) we are now writing for the September issue of Electronic House and equipped by installation firm AVDomotics of Sedona, Ariz., a home control system commands well pumps and other big energy users to come on during the day, when the solar system is producing electricity. That’s an example of two completely different home systems working together toward a common goal: to provide a tankful of water and save enough electricity in the solar batteries for use at night.
In addition, one of Electronic House’s Home of the Year winners, with installation by Grand Junction, Colo.-based All Sound Designs, uses security sensors to enact hands-free lighting throughout the house. It also happens to be a green-built home that takes a systems-wide approach to its efficient design.
This level of integration is nothing new for control systems. We see it all the time with a security “Away” button that turns off lights and arms the security system, or a “Good Night” button that turns off everything. With really energy-efficient homes, though, we will see a lot more of it.
Where’s the Integration?
In its report on Energy Efficient Homes, Pike Research says that 120 billion square feet of energy efficient housing will be created in the next eight years. Though Pike says the two areas with the biggest market growth will be in Asia Pacific and the European Union. “Growth will be slowest in North America, where the existing building stock remains largely unaddressed at the moment,” states the release. Yet North America retains the largest market value for energy efficient homes.
Whoa. Does that mean we have a huge opportunity to be more efficient in our homes, but we are simply not taking advantage of it?
North America’s larger market value in energy efficient homes is largely due to higher costs and larger homes, says Pike research analyst Brittany Gibson.
From the data, though, it appears that there should be a heck of a lot more systems integration going on in North American homes so they can be more efficient. We have the technology—and it’s becoming more and more affordable with basic home control of lights and thermostats being offered by service companies like ADT, Comcast, Verizon, Vivint, Alarm.com and soon AT&T—as well as DIY systems like the many Z-Wave-connected devices available.
Technology should not be the magic elixir in a making a home more efficient or saving energy. Sealing air leaks, insulating and making sure heating and cooling systems are properly sized and operating well are the first critical steps to making a home more energy-efficient. But after that, it’s the systems integration that will make a connected home a smart home—and much more efficient one.
You may also like:
Motorized Shading’s Immense Importance—and Opportunity
Smart, Connected Home = Green?
Is There a Mid-Market for Home Energy Management?
What Has the Greatest Value in the Connected Home?
Is there somewhere within Green Tech Advocates that is addressing the issue of working with the natural waterways infrastructure on the landscape rather than against it when building or rebuilding roads. railroads, pipelines, driveways etc. As a P.E. I have seen the commmon practice road/ROW allignment ignore fluvial geomorphlogy leading to mid and long term maintenance problems.
Markin, we’ve only begun to address such issues. Infrastructure issues comprise a critical part of the obstacles to sustainable life in the United States and elsewhere. The problem is systemic, and its solution requires a different sort of thinking from what has been applied in the past. I’d love to hear more about your thoughts and ideas of what information would help people take positive action.