Bringing it all together -- Home automation unites those numerous appliances

By: BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer | Saturday, January 26, 2008 9:58 PM PST ∞

UC Berkeley’s plan for a home automation system calls for controls to be operated from a central hub that replaces the programmable thermostat found in newer homes. The hub links wirelessly to sensors throughout the home, to appliances, and to the power company. Called the Demand Response Electrical Appliance Manager, or DREAM, the prototype receives and displays the forecasted price of electricity, helping customers plan how to reduce their energy bills.
Illustration courtesy of UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment

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Instead of flipping switches throughout the home before leaving, you press one button and it's all done for you.

When you come home, or even before, the air conditioner kicks into action and the lights turn on. Not only do you save time and effort, you save money on your electricity bill ---- savings of 10 percent to 20 percent are possible, home automation experts say.

That's the draw of home automation, which links up appliances so they are controlled much like an office's computer network. From one central unit, or several, you can operate multiple appliances.

Home automation ranges from simple systems that control a few appliances to extensive networks that regulate every fixture and measure all electrical usage. Internet-controlled systems allow remote access.

Full automation cost tens of thousands of dollars, and is most practical for new homes or for existing homes undergoing major remodeling, said Mark McCormack, co-owner of San Diego-based Automated Solutions, a seller of high-end home automation systems.

However, some of the benefits of home automation, such as lower bills, can be easily had for a lot less, said Michael Shames, executive director of San Diego's Utility Consumers' Action Network.

If you don't mind sacrificing some control over your thermostat, San Diego Gas & Electric will install a thermostat controlled over the Internet. During the summer and early fall, a company hired by the utility will adjust the thermostat to reduce power use when demand is dangerously high.

SDG&E says 7,430 of these devices are active in businesses, and 18,419 in homes. The program is totally voluntary.

However, the California Energy Commission's plan to require utility controlled thermostats in new homes or extensively remodeled houses brought out home automation's dark side. The plan, since discarded, would have required the thermostats defer to an emergency signal broadcast over FM from the utilities.

The commission has dropped the proposal, at least for now, due to furious opposition. Shames, who opposed the energy commission's mandatory plan, said he didn't want to see consumers get turned off from the concept of home automation.

Shames said he likes home automation's promise of reducing energy demand and thus the building of new power plants. This will not only help the environment, he said, but offer consumers significant savings. And he supports utility management of appliances if it's voluntary.

In periods of very heavy demand, a utility might turn off a customer's refrigerator for two hours, Shames said. That's not a major inconvenience for customers, he said.

"You would get paid for essentially having done nothing, because your refrigerator was able to talk to this home automation brain," Shames said.

Plugging in
You do have to put in some effort.

You can assemble a home automation network piecemeal by purchasing devices that meet specifications for "HomePlug" technology. "HomePlug" appliances contain minicomputers that transmit information through a home's power lines, Shames said. They're available at stores such as Home Depot.

HomePlug-compatible devices can be used to operate switches and program timers. They can also transmit Internet data, such as that received through a DSL or cable modem connection through the power lines. The devices already allow computers to share an Internet connection and even a printer or other peripheral. A more advanced version can transmit television and other video signals.

New controllers for HomePlug and other network-aware devices are being introduced constantly. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Actiontec Electronics introduced a new line of these master devices, called zControl, that works with HomePlug devices and other home automation technologies. Lights, garage door openers, or even water sprinkler systems can be managed by these devices, the company says.

The zControl costs $400, and includes an indoor camera with motion detector, one lighting control module, and a remote control. It can be managed through a PC or Mac. If it's hooked up to the Internet, the device can be managed remotely.

Full automation
People willing to spend more cash, and perhaps interested in having someone else figure out the details, can get a complete custom-installed system.

With those systems, communications usually travel by Ethernet cable, commonly used in office computer networks, and often are managed through a touch-screen monitor.

"The standard controls that you might have had before, like the traditional wall-mounted thermostat and a wall-mounted light switch, and pool and spa controls ---- those can all go away, freeing up the walls, making it look clean," McCormack said.

Operating this kind of system is like using an ATM, McCormack said.

Installing these systems ---- which is done either in new homes or extensive remodeling projects of existing homes ---- is a job for professionals.

McCormack said it's best to choose an automation contractor who will "become almost a second general contractor on the home." Together, they'll decide which appliances to install, based on their compatibility with home automation.

The cost of these systems is becoming affordable to middle-class customers, as the prices of technology falls.

"They used to be strictly for the elite," McCormack said. "Three hundred thousand dollars-plus is not uncommon. They can now be had for $30,000."

Microsoft built a model home ---- actually a series of rooms in its Redmond, Wash., headquarters ---- 18 years ago to demonstrate the computer-controlled home of the future. One feature unveiled two years ago uses cell phones as remote controls for lighting and appliances.

Home of the future


Another part of home technology's future is being assembled at UC Berkeley, where students have drawn up a prototype home automation system. It not only unifies control over appliances with wireless sensors and switches, but gets information from the local utility about the projected cost of electricity.

This Demand Response Electrical Appliance Manager is designed to work with utility plans to offer varied electrical rates based on usage. The more demand for electricity, the higher the price. The goal is to encourage customers to even out energy consumption to avoid spikes in use that overload the system.

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com.

On the Internet

For information on companies:

http:www.homeplug.org

http:www.actiontech.org

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