Alternative Technology Assn Forums

1. 

   Flight
   Member

   I’m hoping to find someone who’s a bit of a home automation expert, preferably with a strong inclination towards energy efficiency and sustainability (hence this forum, which I’m a relatively new member to, seems like a good place to start!).

   Ideally I’m hoping for someone with a good knowledge both of what’s already out there (in terms of home automation equipment and systems), but also of the potential DIY methods and pathways that may help in coming up with something really special.

   If this sounds like you, or someone you know, professional or non-professional, I look forward to your reply or PM. There’s lots of scope for different levels of involvement, from just an occasional consultant, right up to full installation. (And of course payments and things happily discussed.)

   Looking forward to hearing from the like-minded talent out there!

   Posted Wednesday 5 Aug 2015 @ 5:18:39 am from IP #
2. 

   David
   Member

   What is it your trying to automate?

   Posted Wednesday 5 Aug 2015 @ 6:52:26 am from IP #
3. 

   Flight
   Member

   One of the main things would be some good environmental automation, for example using inside and outside environmental sensors to control heating, cooling, window ventilation, blinds, etc, in a house that’s designed around passive solar principles. But there’s other things that would be great too, such as automating garden irrigation from a grey water system; monitoring water tanks and water usage with tank levels and flow meters; motion sensors for switching lights off; and anything else that might help with energy efficiency. It’ll be a new build, so we’d like to incorporate as much as possible from the ground up.

   Posted Wednesday 5 Aug 2015 @ 10:39:30 am from IP #
4. 

   David
   Member

   Flight said:
   One of the main things would be some good environmental automation, for example using inside and outside environmental sensors to control heating, cooling, window ventilation, blinds, etc, in a house that’s designed around passive solar principles.

   Not too hard.

   Flight said:
   such as automating garden irrigation from a grey water system; monitoring water tanks and water usage with tank levels and flow meters; motion sensors for switching lights off; and anything else that might help with energy efficiency. It’ll be a new build, so we’d like to incorporate as much as possible from the ground up.

   All this is actually relatively easy, a bit time consuming to setup. Regulations can get in the way of what you can legally do with grey-water, depending on how you treat it.

   Motion senors are cool but they do use a very small amount of power all the time. Electronic water level sensors are easy also use a very small amount of power all the time. Flow meters for what? The amount of water (volume) or the flow rate? Did you also want to log amount of power in kWh's both in and out? Watering based on moisture in the soil as well checking there is enough power available to do it as well?

   Which way to do it and how much it costs depends on what the end result is that's wanted.

   Off-grid or hybrid possibly?

   Posted Wednesday 5 Aug 2015 @ 11:20:11 am from IP #
5. 

   pulpo
   Member

   Automation of home will really help to improve energy efficiency in the years to come.

   I intend to do some automation to improve passive solar performance.

   I will go down the arduino or like route.

   It's so cheap if doing the diy option.

   Pulpo

   Posted Wednesday 5 Aug 2015 @ 11:59:47 am from IP #
6. 

   sun2steam
   Member

   There is this new child on the block: ESP8266.
   It costs $3 to $10, can be programmed in Arduino code but is more powerful and comes with working wifi.
   You could set up a wifi mesh network to avoid all cabling. Of course there is the need for power. but this can come from cheap usb power supplies.
   I am in the early stages an am still trying to get my head around.

   Posted Friday 7 Aug 2015 @ 2:35:54 am from IP #
7. 

   sun2steam
   Member

   This describes wa verys sophisticated DIY home automation project: http://nathan.chantrell.net/home-automation/my-home-automation-system/

   Posted Friday 7 Aug 2015 @ 3:53:11 am from IP #
8. 

   Flight
   Member

   Thanks to those who have responded, both above and via PM. An 'HA project manager' or 'HA design consultant' would be good descriptions of possible involvement options, preferably with that person having a range of knowledge across different possible solution pathways (and with a good 'green' bent to their thinking too!). And yes, having someone Victorian based would perhaps make things easier in a practical sense. So still looking forward to hearing from any knowledgable parties out there!

   Posted Saturday 8 Aug 2015 @ 5:25:07 am from IP #
9. 

   Catopsilia
   Member

   It is interesting that the only things that I have automated in my solar-passive house, the curtains and the fans that circulate air (in lieu of air conditioning), are among the very few items items that Nathan, in sun2steam's link, has not got around to automating in his 14-year Home Automation project.

   Different priorities!

   Posted Tuesday 11 Aug 2015 @ 1:30:45 am from IP #
10. 

    Greg
    Member

    If you wait long enough...
    https://www.netatmo.com/partners/velux

    Blinds, shutters, windows plus the netatmo stuff.

    Posted Monday 19 Feb 2018 @ 2:13:24 am from IP #

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