Smart meters are going to be rolled out in large numbers over the next decade and AlternEnergy will play a significant role in making this happen, helping to make renewable energy a success story.  Smart meters are electricity/gas meters with in-built intelligence which provides the homeowner innovative displays and more informative billing for homeowners.  The realities of owning a smart home are here, as more and more people spend money on improving their comfort levels, reducing their carbon footprint and lowering their energy bills.

Choosing to have a 'smart home' will improve personal comfort, such as setting the right lights for mood without getting up, or adjusting the temperature whilst saving energy at the same time!  Systems commonly control, monitor and optimise building services such as heating, ventilation, motorised shutters or curtains, lighting and alarm systems as well as domestic appliances, hi-fi and home cinema, but can also interact with smoke and burglar alarms.

Nearer the top end of the market, some companies solved convenience problems where the clients had remote buildings. More recently, some suppliers have moved into scene setting and mood controls. These systems can be readily linked to home entertainment systems - either using one of the established audio/visual protocols (e.g. DMX512) or by using a multi-function infrared 'commander'.  Modern smart home systems are not just for large and expensive homes, although the largest number of applications are in new and more expensive homes, smaller homes can also benefit with the control of PIR’s for fire and security. These devices often have 'intelligence' already built-in. Indeed, it is claimed that some basic intelligent home control systems can sometimes be obtained for the price of double glazing - typically as little as £2000.

A typical three bedroom house could have a system to offer flexible switching and control for lighting, heating and shutters via an input relay device; which also incorporates other manufacturers' control products. AlternEnergy has carried out this type of work and know how important it is to keep an eye open for these significant opportunities, now that homeowners are becoming more aware of the opportunities available to them as more devices become available at reasonable prices.

Smart meters

Smart meters are designed for application in all homes.  The functionality of these meters is such that they can switch the load away from appliances that do not need continuous supply. These include washing machines, tumble driers, fridge freezers, electric storage heating, hot water products and renewable energy products. Smart meter application allows homeowners' appliances to intelligently manage the load of their systems & the pay off being the provision of a special tariff from the energy supplier, as they should reward load management through their customers' meters.

How it works:

The technologies use a range of techniques to carry out energy management and building control tasks. Some simple analogue systems, such as timer-controlled water heaters and thermostatic radiator valves, have been around for years; others are more complex and can enable significant energy savings and the control of fire safety and security systems.

A central control unit may run the entire system, based on information supplied by sensors (such as pre-set instructions for some of the devices), and by controls from homeowners. Commands can be sent through a two-wire fieldbus system, power lines, telephone lines or fibre-optic cables - or, increasingly, wirelessly. Essentially, the fieldbus system in homes and offices acts as a backbone for the system automatic controller and devices.
Sensors send signals over a transmission medium to the devices (such as actuators), which, in the temperature example, might be used to turn on a radiator, or control an entire air-conditioning system. New functions can be added at any time. Sensors and actuators are programmed and linked as the requirements of the system dictates, so that - for example - home owners can alter home equipment settings according to their wishes via a keypad, telephone or PC.

Some developments have been based on distributed-intelligence microprocessors. Here, 'intelligent' peripheral units manage a variety of local tasks and functions, while the central unit acts as a supervisor.

The future:

Smart homes, and many other commercial buildings, are likely to have features such as demand-control strategies for ventilation, lighting, heating and cooling; optimal control of heating and cooling processes; the use of programming to provide for a more flexible representation of users' needs; and using expert systems. The latter may be based on neural networks for 'smart' management systems. Ethernet as a backbone is likely to continue to increase its dominance. Wireless technologies will become more common.  AlternEnergy’s continuous development will help us to keep in touch with emerging communications technology to ensure that integration with other systems is straightforward.

Most importantly, smart home technology development is being given impetus by the need to reduce carbon emissions from UK homes. Smart home technologies have the potential to save large amounts of energy, even though the best short-term solution is widespread and effective home insulation & renewable/ alternative energy systems.