Conservation, climate change, pollution.
Important and complicated concepts which are difficult to understand. Almost everyone wants to do something about it, but it is not easy to understand the processes. We leave it to the professionals, collect our rubbish separately and buy A+ products. It is easier to approach these issues from a purse perspective, so we will talk about efficiency and savings in the following.
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At individual level, a good automation system can make significant difference to the energy use of a building. The first step is always to ensure that a given piece of equipment consumes little energy during operation. But depending on the way it is operated, savings up to a further 20-30%, sometimes even 50%, can be achieved.
Today, we almost exclusively install LED lighting, as its efficiency is much better than that of incandescent bulbs. Just as a note, fluorescent tubes have been able to do the same for about 30 years. It is also possible to control the brightness by using many lamps and many switches, or by controlling the brightness of a larger luminaire. This can be complemented by presence-based control or activity-based lighting scenario, automatic adjustment of the required brightness and intelligent control. Add all this together and, depending on the location, the energy consumption will be a fraction of the switched lighting.
Compared to a simple boiler, a condensing boiler already offers better efficiency. A heat pump can further enhance this while producing much less or no CO2. A smart shutter control can also support proper heating. These are just the basics. Efficiency can be further increased by not having a basic thermostat control the system, but also taking the outside temperature into account. This alone can save an additional 10-15% (if the expensive KNX controller only works in yes/no mode, it is just like a thermostat.) There is also something to be done on the consumption side, because room-by-room control not only increases comfort, but can also contribute to savings.
This is basically done by the air conditioner. Based on the difference in temperature between inside and outside, the efficiency of the machine, etc. The blinds can also be time-controlled to keep out excess sunlight. Solving cooling by ventilation is another option, as it is typically cool outside at night, which should be used as a power source for cooling. For all this, it is no longer enough to install basic automatic system, but a more complex system. However, the savings can be as much as 10-20-30%.
What should it be? Push-button or remote-controlled, time-controlled or controlled by sun and wind, or by presence. These and similar questions appear and solutions need to be optimised. What if I have plants in my living room? Or if I have a nice garden that I want to see from inside? The right balance of comfort and efficiency is important. These proportions can be created by incorporating many sensors and using cleverly designed logic. All this can help to operate heating and cooling efficiently, saving on the cost of the shutter motors, while providing maximum comfort.
Watering your lawn and outdoor plants requires a lot of water and energy. Setting a daily time schedule alone is not the best solution. Taking temperature, wind, sunshine and rain into account can be much more efficient. Of course, only if the required data is available and can be processed.
Ventilation has already been mentioned for cooling, but the CO2 level in the building is as well important. Large air handling systems are not very economical at the family house level. A smaller air handling unit can be a much more efficient investment if connected to a smart system that has information about the internal CO2 content. The Loxone switch already measures CO2 levels.
