Читать книгу The Self-Sufficiency Handbook - Alan Bridgewater - Страница 21

A high-tech house, sometimes called a smart house or even an automated house, is a house that contains automated computerized devices that control the systems within the house. There are devices that will open and close doors, turn lights on and off, open and close blinds and shutters, open and close vents and valves, and so on. Of course, the high-tech house is unsuitable if you are a technophobe, and the setup costs are high. Certainly, the whole idea has been heavily criticized as being not quite green (and, in many ways, this is true) but, once it is up and running, the high-tech approach is a very good way of cutting energy costs to the bone.

Overall, the high-tech approach involves reducing energy costs by trimming away every aspect of waste and by fine-tuning usage. Maybe a system that turns valves and lights on and off does not sound so wonderful, but if a network of systems—or, better still, a single completely integrated system—were to “follow” you around the house, turning on and off the lights, temperature, ventilation, and the like—then you can see that there are great cost-cutting possibilities.

The high-tech, or smart, system is designed to respond to outside stimuli. For example, if you link it with a passive solar heating system, temperatures outside the house, and your day-to-day time spent in the house, then it is capable of fine-tuning the various controls to a remarkable degree. Apart from cutting costs, and making all manner of everyday tasks easier, such a system is a great option if you are aged or in any way physically handicapped.