In today's article, I would like to introduce you to an important aspect of building automation: energy savings. Considering the number of additional devices in a smart building, one might think, "More devices must mean higher electricity bills." However, we know how misleading this belief is. Why?
The whole essence of smart home systems lies in the integration of all devices into a cohesive unit. Such cooperation between the key elements of a building practically leads to savings. I will now describe the individual features of a smart home from the perspective of energy savings.
HVAC System Integration
HVAC systems generate the highest costs in most buildings. Building automation works best here. On one hand, it allows us to enhance the system's capabilities in terms of operational precision, but it also enables us to eliminate unnecessary costs associated with the system's operation. By using window sensors, we can automatically turn off the air conditioning in a room when the windows are open. The system ensures that heating and air conditioning do not operate simultaneously.
Ventilation will be used in a way that allows you to forget about controlling it while ensuring cost-effective operation. Introducing carbon dioxide and air quality sensors enables the system to decide when ventilation should operate at a higher level. Whether we are at home or not, or even if there is a party with 30 people, the system will know how to optimally manage the ventilation. One might say that schedules are sufficient for this, but they do not account for changes in our daily routine and special circumstances, forcing us to manually adjust the ventilation settings. As a result, it does not operate fully automatically or as efficiently as possible.
Lighting in Building Automation
One of the most characteristic aspects of smart buildings is the ability to control light dimming. This is for a simple reason: the smart home should be invisible. The way lighting and control panels are managed is one of the few elements we can notice. A smart home is not only a way to create various lighting scenes, giving rooms the perfect atmosphere, but also a way to save money. The human eye perceives light differently from its actual intensity. For example, setting the light intensity to 80% brightness will not be perceived by the eye as significantly dimmer, but for your wallet, it will be, as light shining at such intensity uses 40% less energy than at full brightness. Whether this is a lot or a little, I leave to your interpretation. It is also worth mentioning other lighting-related functions offered by a smart home. It allows for more complex motion sensor operations, such as in the hallway. The decision to turn on the light can depend on the brightness level in the room, whether it is already dark outside, and even the time of day – for example, late at night, the light may turn on at a very low intensity.
External Blinds – Impact on Savings?
If the building has external blinds, they can become an unexpected asset in the context of savings. When we think about it, it becomes obvious that cooling a room when the sun is shining brightly outside takes more time. Some systems can take the sun's position into account, automatically shading the room during cooling. While this may not result in savings of hundreds of zlotys, remember that small savings can accumulate.
Dynamic Electricity Rates and Smart Home
A smart home system can further contribute to savings if we have a PV system installed along with energy storage. The system can mathematically analyze electricity prices and decide whether, for example, charging a vehicle should be done from the stored energy in the battery or from the grid. Of course, it ensures that we always have a fully charged vehicle regardless of the situation. Although this is a novelty in Poland, there is no need to worry about implementing this functionality, as such solutions are already being used in other countries, such as the United Kingdom.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that building automation can allow for energy consumption control by providing insight into the consumption of individual elements with built-in consumption measurement. Although this does not directly lower bills, it can help identify devices that consume excessive amounts of energy, which is particularly useful when we feel that energy is "leaking" somewhere.
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