Get Smart About Home Controls
Getting In on the ‘Green’ Scene
Whether you recycle as part of your daily routine, or you have invested in a hybrid vehicle, odds are you have been swept up in the trendy aphorism “going green” that has taken the nation by storm. Nearly everyone is trying to do his or her part – whether on a small or grand scale – to help better Mother Earth. There is no better place to begin one’s quest for clean air and energy conservation than one’s humble abode. But while it seems like an obvious benefit to security integrators looking to install advanced automation systems, is this “green” solution all it is made out to be?
“With the ever-increasing cost of energy, it would seem that energy management, lighting control and home automation systems would be in greater demand in the future,” says Chuck Stevens, vice president of business development for Linear LLC. “However, the current costs associated with the installation of these systems is still somewhat prohibitive, making the payback term unjustified.”
If energy management and home automation systems were seen as affordable by homeowners, it might have real energy savings potential; however, homeowners in Knoxville, Tenn., haven’t yet considered the prospect of going green, according to Life & Property Security Systems President John Knox. While Tennessee residents’ demand for a cost-efficient system pales in comparison to places like California, Knox says it is only a matter of time before energy-efficient systems are mandated.
For Southern California-based AVAD LLC, the wholesale distributor’s customers are looking for every opportunity to go green. “Lighting control and shades, which really just control natural light, are things we’ve been pushing to our customers for a long time,” says AVAD President Bob Gartland. “It’s something that consumers are very interested in and it is a powerful way for an integrator to have more control over a bigger part of the system.”
“There’s a lot of benefits in going to a whole-house automation system and integrating alarm and security systems. These solutions can help homeowners reduce energy costs by managing lighting, temperature settings, security and more,” says Scott Sturgess, director of product marketing, intrusion and fire products for global wholesale products distributor ADI.
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