Community Magazine November 2008

42 Community magazine on when it gets dark and off when the sun comes out. But the biggest savings are found with automated HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. For years digital thermostats have allowed HVAC systems in homes with multiple heating or cooling zones to be automatically shut off each day during the times when no one is using those rooms. But what happens when someone enters a room where the climate control is off? Instead of having to mess with the programming of the thermostat every time someone needs to override the automated settings, “smart” systems can be triggered with a motion sensor (which can also be set to automatically disable itself on Shabbat and holidays) so that when someone enters a room, the climate control switches on to match the setting in occupied rooms. How significant a break on electricity expenses can one expect from this kind of system? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, setting the temperature back 10-15 percent for eight hours a day results in as much as a 15 percent reduction in electricity costs. All in all, some experts estimate a 20-50 percent return on HVAC automation investments, meaning that the money spent is earned back within 2-5 years. Just Relax! Are you the kind of traveler who spends the flight worrying about whether you remembered to lock the front door or set the alarm? Or do you hire somebody to “house sit” while you’re gone? Home automation systems can solve these problems by allowing homeowners to check their homes from the internet, cell phone or Blackberry. One can view footage of his home’s surveillance cameras anywhere and anytime, and see if anybody besides the mailman showed up at the door. A “Recent Events” display on the screen will report exactly if and when something or someone approached the premises. Frequent travelers can benefit from the “vacation mode” feature that some systems provide. The unit is programmed to auto- matically lock all windows and doors, acti- vate the security system, and turn lights on and off at preset times each day during the trip, all at the touch of a single button. Systems installed by HomeTech even store in memory the history of the house’s daily lighting activity among other opera- tions. With this data, the system can approx- imate the same patterns in vacation mode. So instead of leaving the house dark – which could invite intruders – or keeping a one or two lights on all the time – which wastes energy and may not even fool a potential burglar – the lights in different rooms can be set to automatically go on and off according to the same logical schedule as they did while you were home. American Home Automation even adver- tises an indoor irrigation system that can water your plants at preset intervals when you’re on vacation. Automated surveillance cameras and motion detectors can also prove indis- pensable for the elderly living alone – and their concerned loved ones. The Washington-based Center for Aging Services Technologies works to develop technological solutions for elderly citizens who want to enjoy the freedom and comfort of living alone, while maintaining the secu- rity of knowing that someone is looking out for them. Researchers at the Center are working to develop floor sensors that can determine when a person has fallen, and then immediately dial or send a text mes- sage to a loved one, according to a report by MarketWatch. Other devices that we could see in the near future include motion sensors that detect any deviation in the