energy

and instead become a source of energy savings,
making the most of locally generated sources and
taking into account the specific times you need
to consume electricity, avoiding consumption
at peak hours at higher rates where possible.
However, maximising the benefits of the smart
home is only possible if the house is well used.
It’s no use if the house has a passive ventilation
system and an automatic thermostat if the
occupants leave the windows open, or schedule
the equipment to operate during peak hours.
Therefore, as well as investing in education so
that people consume energy more efficiently,
economic rewards and penalties were
developed to help induce a change in the
behaviour of companies and individuals, making
them collaborate with the balance of the
system. In the past, companies have been most
heavily penalised in this way, however domestic
customers will soon suffer in similar fashion, with
suppliers hiking electricity prices by 99% at the
peak time of between 4pm and 8pm.
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Several pilot projects using residential tariffs that
penalise consumption at peak times led to a
reduction in demand of around 13 - 20%. When
associated with modern technologies, the
reduction was between 27 and 44%. We can
conclude that these techniques work in driving
down usage, but it is important that specified
peak periods are relatively short - up to four hours,
for example - as this will facilitate the changing of
consumption habits.
It is through good integration with intelligent
networks that consumers will get the biggest
benefits of houses of the future. Networks can
help integrate power generation from new
renewable sources produced in homes, as well as
promoting the reduction of energy consumption
at peak times.
Because smart homes are integral components of
the smart grid, their good use is vital to circumvent
the problems of sustainability and energy security,
which companies face. Successful integration is
facilitated with the help of installers, specifically
your participation as an installer is critical to the
success of integration.
It is the installer’s duty to inform the end-users how
can they can maximise the use of their thermostat
to avoid extra costs. If this doesn’t happen, as
more and more end-users misuse their devices
the demand for a professional induction will rise. ■
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