Smart homes and sustainability
There are numerous benefits of smart home installation, from comfort and convenience to security. But many people overlook the impact it can have on achieving a more sustainable lifestyle. Smart home technology has developed rapidly in recent years, enabling homeowners to optimise their energy usage and reduce waste. Let’s take a look at how eco-tech is paving the way for greener living.
Solar panels and home automation
Integrating solar panels into your smart home setup is an excellent way of ensuring you’re living more sustainably. With a seamless connection between your solar array and your home automation system, and the addition of smart metering, you can monitor energy production and consumption and optimise usage. Appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines can be scheduled to operate during peak production hours, and excess energy can be stored in a battery or sold back to the grid.
If you have battery storage, the stored energy can be used to power your lighting automation at night, reducing your reliance on the National Grid and ultimately lowering your bills further.
Smart rainwater harvesting
It’s not just electricity that people are hoping to use more sustainably. Many households are becoming aware of the possibilities of rainwater harvesting, and investing in smart systems to reduce their need for water supplied by companies. A smart water management system enables you to collect rainwater and use it for non-potable applications, such as watering plants, flushing the toilet and even washing clothes or vehicles. Many systems monitor themselves for issues, as well as stopping if a preset minimum water level is reached, or redirecting surplus water if a preset maximum level is exceeded.
Smart heating
Smart heating systems are becoming increasingly popular, with 21% of UK properties estimated to have one. Smart thermostats enable homeowners to be more specific about their heating needs, scheduling their heating to turn on or off according to their daily routine. More sophisticated systems can heat just one or a handful of rooms at a time, or learn users’ habits and switch on or off depending on when they’re typically home. They can also provide data on when energy usage is highest and help you to streamline it.
Predictive maintenance
One key way of reducing energy waste is by investing in devices that use predictive maintenance. These have sensors that alert homeowners if a device is underperforming or malfunctioning, and prompts them to arrange a service or update. This is crucial for optimising energy consumption and promotes repair rather than disposal of the item.
Make your home more sustainable
If you’re looking to invest in eco-tech and home automation to make your lifestyle more sustainable, contact us at New Wave AV today. As an expert smart home installer and authorised Control4 dealer, we can ensure you can enjoy a more comfortable, convenient experience while optimising your energy consumption and reducing your bills. Chat to us today about the benefits of home automation with Control4 or to arrange a demonstration at our Tonbridge showroom. We cover Kent, Surrey, Essex, London and Sussex.
