PERHAPS you’re standing in the rain at the bus stop, yearning for a long soak
in the bath the second you get home. Maybe you’re stuck at work, cursing
that you forgot to turn on the dishwasher. Or you’re midway through your
favourite TV show when you find yourself just wishing someone would turn on
the kettle for a cup of tea. LG, the mass-market electronics company, may be
about to make it so.
Controlling a home at the touch of a button is a privilege familiar to the
rich. The US company Crestron, the market leader in “home network” systems
in the UK, works with upmarket developers such as Candy and Candy, who use
the technology in such envy-inducing schemes as One Hyde Park in
Knightsbridge.
But now LG, the firm better known in Britain for its fridges, freezers and
washing machines, plans to bring similar technology to you. It hopes to sign
you up to its new HomNet system, which will link all your household
appliances and home security features into a wider network that should
include utility companies and even security firms. All appliances – from the
hot water system to the oven – could be centrally controlled, and the days
of jumping out of bed to turn on the heating could be a thing of the past.
True, the infrastructure neccessary to support the system has yet to be set up
the UK, but utility firms should soon have an internet network compatible
with HomNet that will enable residents to pay their bills automatically.
With that as a start, LG, perhaps optimistically, thinks it can have the
system up and running here by 2010.
In a newly built apartment that I visited on the edge of Seoul, the HomNet
system is already at work. It uses a wireless network, similar to that for
internet access at home, to connect the oven, fridge, washing machine,
dishwasher, television, music system, central heating, lighting, security
system, gas, electricity and water supply. All are linked to a control pad –
like a desktop computer screen – accessible from the homeowners’ computer at
work, laptop, BlackBerry or even their mobile phone.
HomNet also monitors energy usage, and should allow UK homeowners to track
their spending on gas, electricity and water. With energy performance
certificates already a key element of compulsory home information packs, and
the threat of future energy restrictions likely to make efficiency an even
better selling point, homeowners should rejoice in the chance to take
greater control.
Rupert Dawes, of Knight Frank’s residential development team, says that high
prices could restrict home networking in the UK mass market. He says: “It
will happen one day but it’s likely to stay within the luxury market for a
while yet.” At present Crestron’s home network systems – thought to cost
about £25,000 per home, depending on the development concerned – connects
the lighting, heating and home entertainment system to a broadband network,
allowing remote control of our homes from the office computer or mobile
phone. Dawes says: “Few people take up the offer of a Crestron system at an
extra cost. The price of any similar system would have to come down
considerably for this to change.”
HomNet started out seven years ago, when LG Electronics launched the product
in South Korea, China and the United Arab Emirates, where it has been
introduced in one development at cost of about £12,000 per apartment. The
South Korean Government is leading the way in improved home technology – it
is pouring about £247 million into related IT development this year alone.
It has started construction on ten million networked homes that will form
part of networked towns called U-cities. Dong-tan New Town is the first such
city and is partly functional, with residents moving in already.
The next challenge will be convincing UK homeowners of the merits of the
system. Andrew Jones, who specialises in high-end residential developments
for Knight Frank in London, says: “Home automation systems don’t
particularly add value but they do add marketability.” He adds: “In the UK
it is often the older generation who can afford to live in luxurious new
developments. They may not be very technologically capable so it is
important that new home network systems are easy to use.” More
details: www.lge.com www.crestron.com
... AND BE GREEN TOO
SMART technology has won the heart of the very richest property owners, but
such gadgets are not just toys for the boys. The technology also promises to
help to save our planet, according to green experts who should know. Forget
the installation of a grass roof or an expensive wind turbine: homeowners
determined to consume less and cut carbon emissions are being urged to
install smart meters and sensors to help them to monitor their energy use.
A report out this week from Green Alliance, an environmental think-tank,
details the role that smart features can play in cutting UK carbon emissions
– 27 per cent of which result from how we use our homes, according to the
Government. Speaking at a launch held at the Royal Society in London,
Stephen Hale, director of Green Alliance, urged the Government to promote
smart technology. He said: “Smart features have not had much recognition but
they can make important contributions to the environmental challenges we
face.”
Green Alliance believes that smart meters could – and should – be a standard
household feature within a decade. It hopes that further research will
confirm that the technology can work in homes of all types and periods.
The devices use data gathered by sensors in the home, along with a profile of
its inhabitants, to make the most efficient use of energy to fulfil the
household’s needs. If the introduction of smart electricity meters proved
successful, smart gas and smart water meters would follow. Intelligent
controls for heating, lighting and blinds would then be integrated, keeping
the home at the optimum temperature while using the smallest amount of
energy possible. The connection of home appliances via a wireless network
(see left) would then be the next step for adventurous households.
But how ready are UK householders for even this starter technology? A survey
by the insurer More Than revealed that 81 per cent of respondents had never
heard of a smart meter. Of those questioned, 43 per cent said that they
would be interested in having a smart electricity meter installed, once they
had been told how it worked. Yet only a quarter of this group were willing
to pay for the installation themselves. The remaining three quarters said –
perhaps optimistically – that they thought the responsibility for arranging
and paying for such energy efficiency technology should lie with the
Government and utility companies.
More research is needed to confirm how productive the technology might be in
the UK’s ageing and diverse housing stock, and also how the cost of
producing it might be reduced. Howard Porter, a director of the British
Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers’ Association, says that bringing
down the cost of smart appliances, particularly the meters, is a top
priority.
Providing such technology on the cheap might not make it a winner with the
many who aspire to outdo their peers with unusual gadgets, but it will be
welcome news for those who have signed up for the worthy quest to consume
just that little bit less. KASIA MACIEJOWSKA www.green-alliance.org.uk
