Why is it worth it to invest in a smart home system?

A pleasant vision, is it not? This is just the beginning. The abilities of a smart home are limited only by your imagination. Your every idea, your every need will become reality thanks to your sense of taste, your imagination, and the most modern technology. And don’t worry about the technical details of the project – leave this to us.

The unquestionable argument in favour of the use of an intelligent installation is the increasing of the comfort and pleasure of the user. The presence of the system may be felt in every part of the building.

 

Living room

The living room is a place where meetings or banquets are often organised. 'Light scenes’ will conjure up an appropriate atmosphere – just let your dreams run wild and create a one-of-a-kind atmosphere for that special evening, like a banquet, watching TV, reading, or a romantic dinner. Upon pressing of a selected button on the wall console, the blinds will drop, the chosen lamps will turn on, and your favourite, appropriate music will begin playing. From the comfort of your own armchair you can control the lights, heaters, blinds and all your audio/video equipment – from one remote control; in case the phone rings, the system will automatically mute your TV set.

 

Corridor

The corridor is visited frequently and at different times of the day, that is why it’s important for it to be properly lit. Thanks to the smart home system this is not a problem. A properly adjusted motion detector will never allow the light to go out when we are inside. It will do so when we leave that space. A sensor will protect the radiator from freezing – and will reset the valve in case the temperature should drop, so that the water doesn’t freeze.

In addition, a properly programmed console will allow us to control the equipment in another room. For example, a selected, programmed button can turn on all of the lights of a building, reduce the temperature in all of the rooms and cut the power to all outlets.

 

Kitchen

The place in which the presence of EIB is extraordinarily useful. Kitchens are in many cases connected to dining rooms, and practice shows us that such a choice is wise and has many advantages. This is the perfect place to install many hanging or regular tube fluorescent lamps under the cupboards. Electric outlets are among the electrical components used most in the kitchen. In a sample EIB system they are designed as intelligent. Connected to the main system bus, they are able to start up or turn off any selected appliances or devices at a selected time, or as an effect of a predefined event. The blinds are controlled via a special unit together with a temperature sensor. Everything is simple and easy to use thanks to quadruple consoles installed at strategic points in the kitchen.

 

TV room

Individual designs foresee the option to control a TV and amplifier set directly through the EIB system. The entrance of a family member can cause favourite music to play or the TV to display a particular painting. Should the home cinema system be engaged, the blinds can automatically drop, and the light level can be adjusted to an intensity preferred by the user for that occasion. A particularly useful function is the Multiroom system, allowing sound amplification for multiple rooms. Its goal is the use of one audio system to distribute the sound to many rooms. These systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their flexibility.

The KNX/EIB systems are the official standard for intelligent installations in the European Union. This standard is driving typical electrics off the market, and will soon become commonplace. KNX/EIB devices are manufactured by large European companies like ABB, BERKER, BOSCH, GIRA, HAGER, JUNG, MERTEN, MOELLER or SIEMENS. A house equipped with an intelligent system is more comfortable, safer and gives savings, and has a higher value for potential buyers.

 

Comparison of abilities of a traditional and intelligent installationTraditional
installation
Intelligent
installation
Control of lighting from any point in the house.NoYes
Light scenes (atmospheres) .NoYes
Automatic switching off of the lights before going to bed or when leaving the house.NoYes
Automatic temperature reduction when leaving the house and before going to bed (every 1°C are 7% energy savings).NoYes
Control of window blinds from any point of the house.NoYes
Closing of window blinds after leaving the house or after dusk (so that observation of the inhabitants from outside is impossible).NoYes
Ability to reconstruct or upgrade the installation without damage to the wallsNoYes
Option of integration with the alarm system (i. e. so lamps in the house and garden blink in case of an intruder, to quickly scare him off).NoYes

 

So, comfort, safety and savings – these are, in short, the advantages of an intelligent installation. They will be described in detail in following parts of our guide. In the next one we will tell you about lighting in the house.