Home automation could help homeowners reduce energy bills, according to one expert.
Andy Stanford-Clark, an IBM inventor who is currently visiting professor at Newcastle University, has said that home automation technology is the way forward in allowing homeowners to monitor their energy usage and cut costs.
Currently, automation is being tested in a small German town, as part of the EU-funded i2home project.
The results should enable experts to see whether automation can boost the environmental impact of homes, as well as make daily energy savings.
Mr Stanford-Clark said that automation had already lopped one-third off his energy bills since automating his home, but he believes that future technology has to be "sensitive" to the homeowner. It must "not feel big brother-esque".
With the recent announcement of plans to integrate social housing developments in Manchester into a micro-grid, automation may already be a step closer to becoming reality in the UK.
A micro-grid can also regulate and monitor fluctuations in energy use according to the time and the weather.
See Also: Property News (0)
Date Published: 22 February 2010
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