By Alejandra García Vélez
Science fiction films and series such as the Back to the Future trilogy or the animated series the Jetsons have for years fed the dreams that many people have of living in a technological world in which the slightest need is solved with the touch of a finger. Currently it is not necessary to dream of futuristic equipment, because it is increasingly common to find in stores devices that previously could only be seen in the imagination.
And it is that a few years ago that a house will have, for example, a lighting control system that turned on and off the lights automatically depending on the time of day or the occupation of a space, seemed impossible, but today this is only one of the many possibilities offered by an automated home. Thanks to the convenience and energy savings that can mean having a system of this type, home automation installations are increasingly common in homes.
In fact, according to information released at the last International Exhibition of Electrical and Electronic Material (Matelec), the volume of the annual market of the home automation technology sector in Spain will reach in the next two years a turnover of between 300 and 400 million euros, since it is expected that in 2010 30% of the homes built will have home automation systems. The above data refer to the European market, but it is expected that Latin America will gradually approach similar figures.
Likewise, information consistent with the above is derived from the study carried out by the specialized portal Casadomo.com: "Home automation and security systems in newly promoted homes", in which, among other things, end users highlight the importance for them of having within an installation of this type with technical alarms, telecare and intrusion alarms, as shown in table 1.
On the other hand, Table 2 shows that end users value sustainable construction solutions such as energy saving, bioclimatic design, water saving and ecological materials very highly.
Aníbal Cardona, commercial manager of Highclass Technology, assures that home automation is a concept that day by day takes more strength, but that for many it is wrongly becoming a fashion; "Leaving us from the boom, fashion and speculation, home automation is a culture, a trend and a lifestyle of those who assume technology as a positive, ecological and formative effect for our daily lives. Home automation is a concept linked to versatility, use and energy saving," he added.
Latin America
While it is true that technology is already part of daily life, we cannot deny that technological advances do not follow the same rhythm in all parts of the world, or even in different places in the same city. Faced with this issue, Aníbal Cardona believes that "we are in a process of approaching the concept of home automation or automation, more and more technologies are implemented according to them but it is not yet the daily supply for each construction project".
He also indicated that the home automation market in 2008, as in 2007, had a slow and gradual growth but it is expected that in the coming years the interest in this topic will continue to grow. Among the countries that fared best in the region are Panama, Ecuador and Costa Rica who are leaders in the demand for automation solutions. And as for types of systems, the first need expressed by customers is security, followed by lighting control and entertainment systems (audio and video).
Energy saving
One of the main advantages of a home automation system is the possibility of reducing energy costs, in fact CEDOM, the Spanish Association of Home Automation, recently published a guide entitled "How to save energy by installing home automation in your home". Precisely this document shows a practical example of the possibilities offered in this field by home automation.
The document raises the example of a house of 130 m2, inhabited by a family of three people who make an annual consumption of 4,500 kWh, and an annual energy cost of € 550. It was compared with a home of the same characteristics but with a home automation system that "allows the efficient management of energy, incorporating a control of heating and / or air conditioning in a zoned way, taking into account the occupation of the house, and maintaining optimal levels of comfort and low consumption. The system intelligently controls the lights, takes into account outside light and occupancy, and makes use of blind monitoring as an element of energy and light management. In addition, it detects and eliminates latent consumption, electrical expenses caused by forgetfulness, failures and breakdowns due to overloads in the electrical installation". After a year of comparative measurements, CEDOM reveals in the guide, significant savings can be seen in Figure 3. Highlighting an 80% saving in lighting expenses.
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