[LINK] Free Sydney Smart Home

[Ivan Trundle]

On 11/02/2010, at 4:54 PM, Richard Chirgwin wrote:

> Tom Worthington wrote:
>> The home uses some innovative energy technology, such as fuel cells, but 
>> the "smart" part does not look very innovative, having the usual,
>> and mostly useless, "you can monitor it from your iPhone" features of 
>> such display homes.
>> 
> I've always wondered about that. Smart or not, I'd like the home to take 
> care of itself, thanks. I don't think wet-nursing the appliances is a 
> fun way to spend time. Let's see: "Lights on = use energy. Lights off = 
> not using energy." Why do I need an iPhone to tell me that?

It's not so much 'on' or 'off' but 'how much' that would be far more valuable. If the home is truly smart, it will have this information available for electricity, gas and water. And more, I'd hope.

> The idea is supposed to be "a detailed picture of energy and water use". 
> Well: I know where the electricity goes (computers; fridge; lights; 
> sometimes the TV). Ditto gas (clothes dryer, winter heaters). I know 
> whether the water goes (showers; toilet flushing; washing machine; the 
> sink; the bathroom basin - in roughly descending order). 

An awareness and understanding of relative proportions is all part of the 'smart process': not many people are aware of what consumes the most electricity, gas and/or water, and anything to educate is A Good Thing.

I'm not so cynical - if people knew more about the fact that their single-flush loo was wasting 20,000 litres of fresh potable water a year, maybe they would do something about it (though in all fairness, the full cost of any change must be considered before change occurs). 

However, most of the 'smarts' should be in human brains, not in homes.

<snip>

>> One catch is that you have to apply via the Energy Australia E-Tendering
>> Portal, which is not exactly user friendly for the average family. 
> Ha! Tendering portals are not user friendly for experienced tender 
> respondents! They are uniformly awful.

Lord help us: tendering websites are the pits. I'm surprised that Tom hasn't completed an audit of them all, though he would be slashing his wrists or seeking a very stiff drink by the time he had finished: if that is possible (it takes real stamina to get to the end of a tender portal process).

iT

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Ivan Trundle
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