Home Automation Yields Green Benefits | Builder Magazine | Home … – Builder Magazine

American home buyers are becoming increasingly aware of how their lifestyles can impact the land they live on, the water they drink, and the air they breathe. Many are actively seeking ways to reduce their consumption and protect the environment with in-home devices that monitor and regulate energy usage.

The reality is that builders can help clients and prospective buyers run a sustainable home far beyond the implementation of green building materials. Todays generation of advanced cost-effective automation platforms can reduce a homeowners carbon footprint greater than ever before, and provide a thorough, permanent and measurable energy-efficient solution that is fully integrated into the home.

Home automation offers control over every system within a residence such as irrigation, electricity, lighting, climate, HVAC, shading, entertainment and security through mobile apps 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, a home automation platform lets these systems talk to each other. And these systems can react, on a customized basis, to seasons, time, motion, occupancy, temperature, humidity and other conditions. So, in addition to instant control, homeowners can configure certain actions to occur autonomously on a regular basis throughout the year.

With a home automation system, various subsystems such as security, lighting, climate and irrigation can be set to respond to each other in a way that conserves energy. For example, a window opening can automatically turn off the air conditioning in that area. 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. Customized events can be built-in, such as home and away, to automatically reduce energy consumption accordingly and the homeowner can control these events remotely, from anywhere in the world. The opportunities to conserve energy through home automation are substantial.

These systems also allow homeowners to monitor their energy output in real time, and refer to past logs 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 use their heating or cooling in the future. Additionally, automation systems can monitor the power consumption of the homes devices, which helps to avoid phantom power, an effect that frequently occurs with products in standby mode, consuming power without actually needing it at the time.

These energy-efficient practices do not sacrifice luxury or convenience. Green homes start with energy management and control, but they dont end there. The same systems that provide energy monitoring and conservation also provide entertainment benefits for the homeowner. Control and automation can also include entertainment systems such as multi-room audio systems, media rooms, or pool and spa temperature control. For example, while automated shades provide a cooling effect that conserves energy, they also conveniently provide shade to block out light while watching television in a media room.

Sophisticated yet easy-to-use automation systems are already being integrated into LEED-certified homes across the country. In 2015, the Sunset Green Home project in Southampton, N.Y., 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.

To successfully build a smart home, it is essential for builders to consult an expert that understands how the control and automation system works, and how it integrates with the homes subsystems. Builders can and should capitalize on home automation by partnering with technology integration experts who specialize in green homes. It also is beneficial for a builder to work with an integrator who can service the homeowner after the home is sold.

Todays home buyers seek the benefits home automation delivers, and they are increasingly demanding solutions that reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint. Builders can attract more business by offering home buyers solutions that integrate green home solutions into the enhanced, automated home.

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Home Automation Yields Green Benefits | Builder Magazine | Home ... - Builder Magazine