Imagine a home where the washing machine runs by itself. Ditto the dryer, dishwasher, stove, individual lights, even whole floors of lights. Don't forget the kitchen taps, the bath, even the shower. And, of course, the blinds.
How about not only one, but two of these houses side by side, exactly the same. It must be pretty convenient for the occupants. Occupants — well, they are there, sort of.
The houses are part of a world-class research facility in Ottawa to help Canadian manufacturers to design, test and develop energy-efficient technologies. And it is a Victoria-based high-tech firm, Horizon Technologies, which is providing the "smarts" with its home automation system.
The houses were built to solve a problem: There are so many variables in houses that it can be a challenge for a company to test, for example, how their latest "low-E" windows can keep a house cool in the summer. Or for a manufacturer to fine-tune a new type of furnace.
Not only does the weather affect performance, but also what is going on inside the house. For example, during a heat wave, we might reduce the use of our oven or stove because we know it will further heat the house. Similiarly, many activities and appliances used throughout the day affect the energy characteristics and moisture content inside the house.
For meaningful scientific data, however, daily repeatable operation of the houses is required. So, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Natural Resources Canada pooled together $1.5 million to develop the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology (CCHT). The Centre consists of two research houses, representative of current single-family homes, and an InfoCentre.
The two research houses are initially identical, physically and from an energy point of view. Then, innovative technologies are introduced into the test house, while the other house remains the same as a baseline reference.
Both houses are subjected to the same occupant patterns, but without people. The presence or absence of occupants are simulated with special lights representing the heat that they radiate. For example, during the night, the bedroom "humans" are activated. In the morning, they take a quick shower, and then the "humans" move downstairs to the family room for breakfast. The stove or oven runs for the morning "hot breakfast". The kitchen tap fills the sink to a preset level and then drains.
In the evening, the blinds are drawn. The clothes washing machine runs through its normal cycle followed by the dryer. The bath and dishwasher run as they normally would, adding their components of energy and moisture as in an average home. At the end of the day, the thermostat is lowered.
What results is a repeatable, yet realistic operation of the homes.
A palm-sized module designed and developed by Horizon Technologies controls all of these products. The "smart" module allows hundreds of events to be scheduled. The schedules can be setup with a computer, although once scheduled, the computer is no longer needed.
Messages are then sent over "telephone-grade" wire to other small modules that control the remote appliances.
In addition to the realistic appliance and occupant operation of the houses, a full scale monitoring program is provided. NRC has installed its own equipment to monitor temperatures and humidity of points throughout the houses. The temperatures in each room, in the ceiling, and outside are measured. Other points include the inside, outside and the middle of the windows and walls. Even points at various depths of the ground.
Attached to it home automation system, Horizon Technologies equipment also reads the utilities — water, gas and electrical consumption of the various appliances. For example, both the gas and electrical consumption of the furnace are measured and logged.
And that "smart" module does all of this utility data logging as well.
These high-tech test homes are providing Canada a leadership role in the high technology, energy and environmental fields.
Manufacturers of energy and environmental products now have a facility to not only test and verify their equipment, but also to fine-tune their products and systems. Designers of hot water and space heating systems, basement insulation systems, heat recovery ventilators, thermostats and home automation systems may find the facility gives them a competitive edge.
Water, gas and electrical utilities can do research to maximize their infrastructure. For example, they can study how low-flow showerheads affect the moisture content and heating of homes.
Meanwhile, CCHT's InfoCentre is an informational facility for architects, engineers and builders. There will be demonstrations of CMHC’s flex housing concepts, a practical approach to layout and construction, with the ability to be adapted and converted.
As well, Horizon Technologies’ integration of their home automation system with the cabling giant, NORDX/CDT, will be shown.
In normal houses, a flick of Horizon's Good-Bye switch saves your ears by turning on the dishwasher as you leave, enhances security by random light control and lowers energy costs by reducing the heat.
For more information contact Ludo Bertsch, Horizon Technologies (250) 592-0487 or visit their Web site: www.horizontec.com