Nico van der Merwe, VP of Home & Distribution at Schneider Electric, discusses the future of smart home tech.
For years, homeowners have been able to customise aspects of their home using their smart devices, so whats next?
As homes become smarter, bringing greater benefits, so will heating systems. By adopting smarter features, heat will be generated only when and where its required to the exact temperature that is optimal for every square foot. Simple upgrades to homes across the country will have a huge impact on comfort, convenience and energy bills.
The Smarter Choice
Many smart heating systems are designed so users can easily control their thermostat directly from an app on their phone. With homes and heating systems becoming increasingly connected, the benefits continue to grow. The Internet of Things (IoT), allows homeowners to control their heating wherever and whenever, and schedule heating for when you wake up or arrive back. This saves on money and time, while improving comfort.
To reduce energy consumption and heating bills, connectivity, reliability and overall performance are all crucial. However, there are a number of new functions that are fast becoming a necessity.
Smart Rooms
Today we demand personalisation. The next stage for heating is control and scheduling in each room independently. From a comfort point of view, each room should be at different temperatures. We control our lights switch-to-switch and we control our water tap-to-tap so why dont we control our heat room-to-room?
Traditional thermostats and radiator controls simply arent efficient or measurable. A smart room thermostat, has multi-room system measures and controls the temperature of each room and has a huge impact on comfort, convenience and energy bills. Smart heating systems now enable users to personalise their home environment according to their needs by allowing them to control the temperature and schedule in their home completely independently.
Smart Usability
With the explosion of apps, its now possible to take control of at-home appliances. Not only does this make it easier for individuals to control their appliances, for heating in particular it allows individuals to take control of their energy on the go to reduce their long-term energy consumption.
Now, however, heating is joining the smart home assistant (Google Assistant & Amazon Alexa, etc.) revolution. Controlling heating with voice commands, makes it easier than ever. You can now ask them to set your heating at a certain temperature, increase/decrease the heating and check what temperature your home is at.
Smart Analysis
Home improvers may now be striving for smarter, more connected homes, but they want something thats plug and play. Smart heating systems, such as the Schneider Electric Wiser range, fit the bill as they have no wires, no installation and no mess and are better for the environment. Adopting technology like this is necessary if people want to reduce their energy consumption in the future. The most modern heating solutions will be key in facilitating smarter, more energy efficient homes for the benefit of our wallets and our planet.
