The principles behind making a home green are not rocket science - turning off the power mains, using sustainable materials and furniture, installing energy efficient appliances and recycling as much as possible are but some fundamental rules to follow.
But in the near future, green homes are set to take on another meaning - they will be ultra-smart - and this will enable households to achieve as much as 30 per cent savings in energy bills, says Martin Manniche, chairman and chief technology officer of Singapore-based firm GreenWave Reality.
In that future, home owners will be able to control their appliances remotely using their mobile phones or the Internet, (enabling them to say turn off the power mains after they’ve left the house, if they’ve forgotten), and a computerised home energy system will automatically charge appliances during off-peak periods when energy is cheaper.
Such innovations and more, were discussed in a forum this week at the Smart Green Home Symposium held in Copenhagen, where world leaders have converged this week to negotiate a global deal to tackle climate change and curb the growth of greenhouse gas emissions.
The impact of such a smart green home system on a country’s reduction of emissions is profound, says Mr Manniche. Households contribute about 30 per cent of an average country’s emissions.
And Singapore has caught on. AStar chairman Charles Zukosi told The Straits Times that the agency is driving research into such technologies such as software and data management systems to speed up the commercialisation of such solutions. To do this successfully, AStar is seeking companies such as GreenWave to help take such solutions to market, said Mr Zukosi, who also spoke at the forum.
Ultra-smart meters in Singapore homes, for example, will be able to tell home owners the optimum time to use energy-intensive appliances such air-conditioning or heaters, depending on the load on the grid, he said.
“The potential for energy saving is huge, and Singapore will be able to reduce its carbon footprint. A lot of policies have been put in place to pursue this,” he said.
Trials of GreenWave’s smart home systems is set to reach Singapore’s shores next June, under the Energy Market Authority’s multi-million test-bedding project to build Singapore’s first smart grid.
Announced last month, the Intelligent Energy System will feature smart meters and systems implemented at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and sites such as neighbouring CleanTech Park at Jalan Bahar, and selected residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
GreenWave Reality, which originated from Denmark, is a partner under this scheme and Mr Manniche is optimistic of its success in Singapore.
“Singapore’s strong IT and grid infrastructure makes it ideal to test this out, Singaporeans also love their gadgets and are tech-savvy, I think they will catch on,” he said.
GreenWave, whose headquarters is now located in Singapore, said they have invested tens of millions in the technology and manufacturing. Part of its hardware development, industrial and mechanical design is done in Singapore.
When it finally reaches the man in the street, the system will only cost up to US$200 to implement and will help users reduce energy bills, said Mr Manniche. This will involve buying “smart cables” which users can plug their appliances in, installing motion sensors within the home or installing an internet-enabled infrastructure in their homes.
Professor Lee Siew Eang of National University of Singapore’s department of building, who also spoke at the forum, said that the university is researching into technologies beyond what is currently available. This includes research into “smart home climatic systems” where the home is so smart that it automatically adjusts settings of the home to make it optimum for the user.
“This will include things like knowing when there are more people in the home, in order to set the right temperature settings,” he said.
But no matter how smart homes are, what makes a real difference is ultimately the user, said senior advisor Keith Curtis of the US Department of Commerce. He noted that some green buildings in the US, certified with the LEED standard, perform poorer than regular buildings - and the cause of this were the users.
“Are those in the green home or building practicing the right habits? If they’re not, having the smartest home is not going to help,” he said.
