Power Up your Window Covering

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Motorised-Roman-shades

In the past five years, the most dramatic developments in the window covering industry have come in the area of motorisation.

As we move into an era of smart homes that enable the occupier to operate anything in the home from a remote control or from a device  such as an iPad or smartphone, window covering professionals have to get savvy about some of the technological issues that accompany this trend.

The current leader in window covering motorisation, Somfy, is constantly developing new hardware (and software) that will ensure the smooth operation of blinds, curtains and awnings, both interior and exterior. The challenge is to make operation user-friendly and economical whilst ensuring the end user does not incur extra energy expenses or increase their carbon footprint.

There are basically two major installation types for motorisation. C-Bus is a system in which the entire home is controlled from a central point and devices such as wall switches or even tablets and android phones can control everything. You don’t even have to be in the home for these items to work, as long as you are connected by your mobile device. This means you can arrange to have all your blinds down when you walk out the door, and have them up in time for your arrival back home. You can put items on a timer so that when you are absent, it looks like someone is still home.

The other installation type is remote control operation. This is more cost effective and suitable for smaller homes or those with a more modest budget. An electrician simply hard-wires the windows that require treatments and then the blinds or curtain tracks are connected to the exposed cables. A hand-held or wall mounted remote control operates the window treatments, and the end user can have numerous options as to how these window treatments open and close.

Motorisation is a huge consideration in rooms where windows are inaccessible and still require operable window coverings. Also, those who may be incapacitated would benefit greatly from motorising their window treatments. Of course, those who simply love gadgets will also appreciate this technology. There are a few things to watch out for if you decide to utilise either of these technologies, however:

  1. Neither system is cheap. Remember you need to add the price of the motor to the price of the window treatment.
  2. Look for a motor with a warranty that is backed by after sales service from the supplier (not just your  salesperson).
  3. Purchase the quietest motors you can afford. There are different grades of motors and some are quite noisy.
  4. If you don’t have an electrician, look for a supplier who can offer an electrical service as well as the motors. In some cases, this also extends your warranty.
  5. Be careful of cheap Chinese motors as the jury is out on some of these

If you only have one or two small windows and don’t want the expense of a motor, you might want to consider battery operation. Apart from being a cheaper option, batteries are great for small blinds and can be retrofitted in some cases. Generally, you can expect a battery to last about two years before it needs replacing or recharging.

So, if you are building a new home or completely replacing your window treatments, why not consider having them motorised?

http://sourceable.net/power-window-coverings/#

Home Automation With Smart Phone Apps

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HOME

 

Summary: You can also manually control aspects of heating and cooling, through the smart phone app. A lot of luxury homes jumped at the first opportunity of automation — remote controls to draw and close blinds, set up mood lighting. Automation can cut power to those phantom load appliances saving money on your monthly bills. Imagine, smart phones will soon control air-conditioners, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, microwave ovens, even baby-sit or operate doors in homes through the internet. As a closet futurist, eco junkie and architect, I am excited as saving energy through efficiency and conservation through automation is finally possible.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a reality and it seems the concept of ‘B-IoT’ or the Building Internet of Things is at your doorstep! But what does this really mean for the average homeowner? As a closet futurist, eco junkie and architect, I am excited as saving energy through efficiency and conservation through automation is finally possible. A lot of luxury homes jumped at the first opportunity of automation — remote controls to draw and close blinds, set up mood lighting. They even had stairwell lights and night lamps turning on or off with movement sensors. But is this what a smart home is really about? Not really.

A smart home by today’s definition is one that can observe, record a behaviour pattern and also automate it. In other words, the data become the knowledge for automation. Automation is great.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a reality and it seems the concept of ‘B-IoT’ or the Building Internet of Things is at your doorstep! But what does this really mean for the average homeowner? As a closet futurist, eco junkie and architect, I am excited as saving energy through efficiency and conservation through automation is finally possible. A lot of luxury homes jumped at the first opportunity of automation — remote controls to draw and close blinds, set up mood lighting. They even had stairwell lights and night lamps turning on or off with movement sensors. But is this what a smart home is really about? Not really. A smart home by today’s definition is one that can observe, record a behaviour pattern and also automate it. In other words, the data become the knowledge for automation. Automation is great. It takes out the mundane routine and frees time for other useful ‘brain activity’ — giving people time to do things they would otherwise like to do! Google Nest’s technology can ‘figure out’ the settings on your thermostat and automatically set it once it senses you are in the room. That’s not all. You can also manually control aspects of heating and cooling, through the smart phone app. So, irrespective of distance or geo position, as long as you have a smart phone app that controls lighting, cooling, plumbing systems and are connected to the internet you can be on vacation, and still control all that is happening back at home. Forgetting to switch something off is a thing of the past! The biggest possible savings from automation could be saving us the ‘phantom load’: the energy used by our televisions, computers, microwaves and other electronic devices that are switched off but are in stand-by mode. The recommendation of energy groups is that we unplug those devices, but this is never the case. In most cases these switches are in hard to reach places and we never completely switch these off. Automation can cut power to those phantom load appliances saving money on your monthly bills. The stats show that 7% of power used in the US was from these phantom loads alone! Our electricity boards have mad…

Clocks change 2016: How to make sure it doesn’t affect your sleep

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SleeplessNightThe change of the clocks can cause sleepless nights

Every spring we face the ritual of altering the clocks as we move to British Summer Time.

It’s a bit of a headache to make sure all the clocks in the house, the car and everywhere else have been changed.

Electronic devices usually update automatically but it’s always worth checking to see they have done it.

When do the clocks go forward in 2016? Why do we do it?

 

For many people the shift in times of sunrises and sunsets has a detrimental effect as their bodies adjust to new sleep patterns.

Those lighter evenings and darker mornings can make a real difference because of the way we are attuned to daylight – and the lack of it.

To help you avoid disrupted sleep, here are some handy tips for improving your chances of getting the full eight hours when the clocks go forward.

Adjust your Sunday routines

Sunday night can be one of the most stressful times of the week for the typical UK family, and one which typically follows the same pattern.

Children are frantically attempting to finish off any last-minute homework, while the adults get things ready for a busy week ahead at work.

One way to cope with the lost hour of sleep is to bring your Sunday habits back by an hour before it happens.

For example, if you normally eat your roast dinner at 5pm then aim to dine at 4pm on the Sunday of the clock change.

You should also make sure you don’t have too long a lie-in on the Sunday morning, so you’re completely ready for an early night.

A warm bath can work wonders

If you are someone who can take a while to drift off after getting into bed, here’s a fantastic tip for speeding up the onset of sleep.

Scientists say sleep is preceded by your body temperature dropping slightly.

Having a warm bath two hours before bed will gently raise your body temperature and when you get out of the water it will fall, tricking your body into thinking it’s time to sleep.

Add a drop or two of chamomile or lavender oil to the water too. Both of these essential oils are proven to help stressed or anxious people to fall and stay asleep.

Shut out the light

Many people find that one of the hardest things about the clocks going forward is attempting to fall asleep while it’s still light outside.

One of the best ways to tackle this tricky problem is to invest in some blackout blinds for the bedroom windows.

Even a small chink of light creeping into your bedroom, such as from the street lamps outside, can cause problems sleeping. So by helping stop outside light getting inside, blackout blinds can significantly improve sleep quality.

When the clocks go forward and the days lengthen, blackout blinds or heavily lined curtains will help keep your bedroom dark and sleep friendly even though the evenings and mornings are light.

Know the right foods and drinks

It’s a well-known fact that drinks high in caffeine, such as coffee, tea and energy drinks, can keep you awake if consumed after a certain point in the day.

But did you know there are foods that should also be avoided to prepare your body properly for sleep?

Foods to avoid within your meals and snacks on the day of the clock change include chocolate, ice cream and yogurt with coffee flavourings, protein bars, sugary sweets and other confectionery.

 

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/clocks-going-forward-affect-sleep-11064089

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