How smart buildings and homes can contribute to a more sustainable world from now on. The opinion of Seguros SURA, Nubiral, Somos Smart and Haustech, among others.
Thanks to the impact of technology and the Internet of Things, it is becoming easier to carry out household tasks and be able to control household appliances without much effort. Smart homes allow you to control and monitor essential aspects of a home, such astemperature, lighting and even the amount of water we use. In dialogue with Make sure you live, the region's leading firms refer to the phenomenon.
The most important thing about home automation today, as experts from Seguros SURA assure, is that it is no longer just a question of comfort, but also of environmental care. Through smart buildings and homes, people can contribute to being more sustainable and ecological, optimizing and taking care of resources.
This is something that holds Sergio Mastrogiovanni, Head of Data and Innovation at Nubiral, a leading firm in process automation, who assures that one of the great challenges worldwide today is to be more efficient in terms of saving and using energy. And, from that side, smart buildings are presented as a “innovative and sustainable concept” that allow the use of disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence or Big Data “to achieve the long-term goal of NetZero".
From that place, adds that as a result of the information and data collected through technology, it is possible to “address and manage resources more efficiently,” allowing users to “better understand their consumption patterns and optimize their payments by consuming resources during off-peak hours.”
Intelligent lighting
Joaquin Segundo Abuchdid, co-founder of Somos Smart, He says in dialogue with Make sure you live that, through smart homes, is achieved “a considerable saving, not only of electricity, but also of water.” As for lighting, for example, the expert explains that home automation can be used to plan automatic on and off times, especially outside the house, at dawn and dusk.
“There are systems that automatically detect the time the sun rises and sets, depending on the location of the smart property. And this is where energy savings occur, since the timetables change during the different seasons of the year,” he adds.
On the other hand, he adds that the savings will be greater if lights are used. dimmable smart (adjustable), pointing out that with this type of lamps you can configure dim lighting routines, where only the lights that are really needed are kept on and at the power or brightness level that is truly required.
In tune with this, Nicolas Salvaneschi, Commercial Manager of the company Haustech, mentions the possibility of configuring the bathroom lights, for example, so that these light up only at 30% power after one in the morning, “firstly so that it does not bother the eyes and secondly to generate less consumption, since the reality is that at that time we do not need them 100%.”
At the same time, Salvaneschi speaks of the existence of smart clamp meters, which are instruments that measure amperes, that is, the electric current. "By using it, we can establish that when a certain amount of Watts of consumption is reached, it enters into an 'economical and ecological mode' so that certain devices do not turn on," he adds.
Air conditioning
Another interesting point that Abuchdid highlights is the smart home air conditioning, which can be set to only operate when someone is present on the property, whether it is a home or an office. It even adds that it could be programmed to turn on or off on certain days and times, adjusting to the person's routine.
On the same line, Mastrogiovanni speaks of that the smart thermostats, From the different solutions it offers - such as raising or lowering the temperature according to the forecast or triggering alarms when specific conditions occur - "they allow consumers to save up to 12% of the energy needed for heating and 15% of the energy needed for cooling.”
Take care of the water
Abuchdid says that they already exist smart showers that allow you to track the use of water, thus achieving a certain control over what is wasted at bath time and taking care of a resource that is not abundant in the world.
He also mentions that there are systems that, for example, They vary the water pressure of the shower based on the distance at which the person is locatedThe further away you are, the lower the water pressure. And the closer you are, the greater the power.
On the other hand, within what is the control of the water supply, talks about devices that allow detecting losses“If this happens, the system could alert us on our cell phone about the situation and we could cut off the water supply in that area from the app. It could be, for example, under the kitchen sink, where the dishes are washed,” he says.
This – says Abuchdid – guarantees Do not waste water, on the one hand, and also to avoid possible damage to property, since “if a water leak were to reach electrical cables it could mean a problem.”
"See you later"
Another routine they mention from Smart House It is what they call "Leave" o "See you later", widely used by its customers, which turns off when that phrase is outlined - through voice commands - All the lights in the property, the air conditioning, the air conditioners split, thermostats, all televisions and smart appliances in the home.
They clarify that the system they offer “is 100% configurable and something important is that it can be controlled remotely. Thinking about whether we go on vacation and forget to turn off certain lights or air conditioners, it can be solved through an application connected to the cell phone," he says.
Salvaneschi He argues that the fact that the “can be avoided”“device downtime” which are generally left on due to misuse, “shows that home automation is a great help in being more environmentally friendly.”
Design, construction and use of spaces
To Victor Geo, Director of Habitat and Connectivity, It is important to clarify that the concept of smart buildings goes beyond the electronic devices that may be used, and mentions three important aspects that also relate to the issue: the design, construction and use of spaces.
“From the design block, there are tools that allow us to evaluate where to develop real estate projects that benefit connectivity. This is understood as integration with mass transportation systems, cycle routes, among other more efficient, less polluting systems or those that involve less travel; but that also benefit relationships and community life, speaking of sustainability in the social sphere as well,” he explains.
Geo also understands that there are other interesting issues in terms of design, such as the use of modelling tools that allow for more efficient use of spaces, to make the most of natural light and provide inhabitants with thermal and energy efficiency. In turn, he explains that through these tools, the use of materials could be optimised, to avoid waste or debris as much as possible.
According to the building, describes that there are materials that “are environmentally friendly: many of them are recycled or require less quantity, water and energy consumption, either in manufacturing or at the time of use.”
And finally, within the scope of the use of spaces in the home, he mentions home automation. Geo maintains that these technologies are increasingly more accessible and more present in our daily lives. In addition, he indicates, in line with Salvaneschi and Abuchdid, that “the benefits are not only allowing us to automate some repetitive tasks, providing us with comfort and security, but also helping to achieve more sustainable energy management in our home in a passive way.”
There is still much to explore in terms of smart homes. The good news is that it is a phenomenon that is not only occurring in European countries or the United States, as it has also been adopted in Latin America, where not only the highest income strata have access. Hand in hand with this, and understanding the place that the home occupies for each family, is that SURA Insurance offers different types of coverage to protect your home and material assets in the event of any type of event.