The Design Perspective

They do eventually learn to remember these things but it often takes years of reminding. And it’s easy to loose your cool (pun intended).

Let your security system do the work for you! By adding a sensor to your air conditioning system and using the door sensors already in your security system, it can remind your kids for you.

Each time the door is left open, we can program the system to send anything from a gentle chime, to a voice saying “close the side door”, to a full fledged Thermo-Nuclear War Alert siren (your needs may vary).

Of course, any luxury system would include a “one- touch party mode” that disables this alert feature for a few hours.

Garages can loose a lot of energy too. Request automatic closing features for the garage doors.

Tie in your Temperature Control

Automatic temperature setback
Add temperature control to your home automation system to automatically setback the temperature when you’re out of the house.

If your schedule changes, why cool an empty house or overheat when you’re home unexpectedly. The system can setback the temperature whenever it’s armed and you’re not home. Simply press one button to arm the system and leave for the day. When you return and disarm the system, it will adjust the temperature setpoint again to make the house cool and comfortable.

By reducing the temperature differential between the inside and the outside, you save energy.

Of course, you’ll want to avoid condenstion and freezing conditions so there should always be safety settings that prevent over- or under-temperature conditions.

Dim the lights
Dimming the lights can be both romantic and practical. Dimmers reduce bulb wear and extend their life while reducing energy consumption.

California has adopted Title 24, which requires that at least half of household bulbs be high efficiency and any incandescant bulbs be on dimmers. Take advantage of scene-based dimming systems to simplify your lighting. Add occupancy sensors to automatically turn off lights when areas are no longer occupied.

Howzeedooit?My design team at DistinctAV publishes this monthly newsletter that is full of ideas that enhance your home and office.  If you’re remodelling, building, or just interested in the practical application of home electronics and controls, subscribe to The Design Perspective.