Green Homes Special Series: Part Twelve: Home Controls

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Today’s home controls allow homeowners to take an active role in managing their power consumption. Green Aspects General climate controls as well as security are at the forefront of consumer interests in home automation, says Industry Analysis Director Steve Koenig of the Consumer Electronics Association , which represents 2,200 companies in the industry. While new homes typically have state-of-the-art HVAC with A collage of Intermatic’s InTouch controls © Intermatic high-efficiency ratings, older homes have a host of issues. “Apart from replacing the HVAC, there are some pretty basic home controls that can help make a difference in energy bills,” he says. People can start saving energy simply with some single devices, says Koenig. A basic programmable thermostat can lower the heat or raise the cooling temperature when no one is home, thus saving money. A timer can consistently turn off outside lights at a certain hour instead of having them left on all night using up kilowatts. Some people leave their lights on because they're afraid to arrive home to a dark house, says Lisa Whitcomb, senior public relations specialist with Intermatic. “Controls would allow them to have lights come on at sunset or when they're expected to arrive, and thus use less energy,” she says. “People also don't think about appliances plugged into receptacles using energy when they’re turned off. The InTouch outlet can truly be powered off, eliminating standby power drain to the appliance plugged in that is turned “off.” This phenomenon is also known throughout the industry as vampire electronics. In a standby mode, some products such as a stereo or TV can still draw small amounts of power to keep them warmed up. When the InTouch outlet is powered off, all electric current is stopped from going through the outlet to whatever may be plugged in to it. ” Living “green” is also about reducing the carbon footprint, says Product Marketing Manager Grant Sullivan for Leviton Home Automation Products, based in Little Neck, N.Y. “Extending bulb life means fewer light bulbs are put in landfills,” he says. “Converting switches to dimmers means less energy is wasted. Dimmers also create a soft fade condition, further benefiting bulb life. Brightening a bulb slowly, as opposed to instant on, protects the filament in the bulb, enabling it to last longer.” Simply dimming a lamp has positive effects on energy usage. Sullivan says: • Dimming a lamp 10 percent reduces energy use by 10 percent and provides twice the bulb life. • Dimming a lamp 25 percent reduces energy use by 20 percent and provides four times the bulb life. • Dimming a lamp 75 percent reduces energy use by 60 percent and provides more than 20 times the bulb life. Beyond individual controls, having devices work together in a whole house system can add to energy savings. For example, a motion detector, noting there is no movement in the house, might reduce energy usage by the HVAC or dim or turn off certain lights. Sampling the Marketplace There’s a surprising array of products to help you conserve energy. Here are a few. Leviton produces lighting controls, wireless controls and power line controls. Leviton’s Sullivan offered examples of what its products can do.

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