What is home automation and how does it work?

We call home automation the systems that automate a home or building of any kind, controlling electrical appliances, air conditioning and heating, ventilation, energy management services, security, well-being and communication.

The control of the different equipment and installations of a house or building can be integrated by means of interior and exterior communication networks, wired or wireless.

Control of all these systems can enjoy a certain ubiquity, from inside and outside the home. It could be defined as the integration of technology in the intelligent design of a closed area. 

In a simpler way is to implement systems in our home that open the blinds and windows in the morning when we get up, close them when it is sunny or rainy, or open them at times of pleasant temperatures…

For example, if we turn on the heating or air conditioning, let us know that there is a window open, and if necessary, close it to prevent the temperature we want to achieve from escaping through that window.

Origin and Benefits

The origin of home automation is attributed to JhoelSpira, who in 1959 worked for an aerospace company.

During the development of a project he was working on, it occurred to him that he could use a thyristor (a small electronic device from the transistor family) to vary the light intensity of light bulbs.

Until then this was done with resistors that were very large in size and expensive. For this reason these systems were only used for lighting stages or large buildings.

But Spira’s idea meant that the small electronic mechanism could be installed in a small box built into the wall, and at a significantly low price. So it could be used in homes without any problem.

Here began the era of control and automation of our homes.

That contribute?

The benefits that a home automation system brings us are mainly energy savings, although it has also led to comfort at home.

In terms of energy efficiency, home automation enables intelligent management of home lighting, electrical appliances, heating or air conditioning, water supply, irrigation of our garden.

So that it optimizes the hours of use, at the most economical rate hours, or due to the presence of people who need lighting or a change in temperature. In addition, they offer information on consumption, and with them it makes it possible to change habits at times to improve the energy efficiency of the home.

In terms of convenience or comfort, since it allows some electrical appliances or facilities to act alone according to the needs of people.

For example, removing the awning that protects us from the sun, if the wind is strong and there is a danger that it will break. If it starts to rain, we close the windows so that the water does not enter the house.

It turns the lights on when we enter a room and turns them off when we leave. All these examples and many more, without the need for anyone to do anything.

They also provide security. A home automation system has controls and alarms that immediately detect fires, water and even gas leaks, broken windows or if someone tries to force a door, even increases in electrical current that can lead to fires due to excessive consumption.

In addition, it can simulate movement when the inhabitants of the house are absent, turn lights on randomly or send notifications via email, in the event of an incident, among many other applications.

As for accessibility, home automation facilitates the management of the different household facilities, so that people with disabilities or some limitation can function freely.

In short, home automation allows the conditions of the house to be adjusted to the needs of all the people who inhabit it.

The importance of monitoring energy consumption at home

Today, a home automation system offers a wide variety of functions aimed at monitoring the consumption of water, gas, diesel or other fuel, and the electricity consumption of all the systems in the home (lighting, electrical appliances, communication systems, refrigeration and/or heating, etc.).

By monitoring everything that happens, we get information on the times when we consume the most energy (daily, monthly, yearly), which system in our home is consuming the most, and if consumption is normal or abnormally high.

All this information helps us to change habits or patterns of behavior in our home in some activities that can be rescheduled, for example, putting the washing machine or dishwasher at times of shorter electricity periods.

Or if we have a photovoltaic installation , focus those uses during the day to take advantage of direct electricity consumption from the plates, heat the water at more favorable hours and store it in a well-insulated warehouse until it is used, etc. 

What can Home Automation contribute to Energy Savings and Efficiency?

As mentioned in the previous point, if we know what hours we consume the most energy and which are also at a higher cost, we can move these activities, or at least some of them, to the hours with the lowest electricity costs.

For example, if we have an electricity tariff with hourly discrimination, or with certain hours at a lower cost, we will try to focus the expenses of the largest electricity consumers in our home, washing machine, dishwasher, etc., on those hours. And that they do not imply a decrease in comfort.

For example, if we have an electricity tariff with hourly discrimination, or with certain hours at a lower cost, we will try to focus the expenses of the largest electricity consumers in our home, washing machine, dishwasher, etc., on those hours. And that they do not imply a decrease in comfort.

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