Home automation chips in to save energy

It wasn’t long ago that contractors had to build automation controls into a house. Homeowners could switch indoor and outdoor lights on or off, adjust their home’s temperature, lock the doors, open the garage door, check the nanny cam and set the house alarm. Such a monolithic approach provided convenience, but it was spendy. Also, it tied homeowners to one vendor and when things went awry, they called a technician.

This solution used its own computer, proprietary protocols and controllers so you could summon them from a remote, or sometimes a smartphone.

Read more: http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/apr/21/energy-adviser-home-automation-chips-in-to-save-energy/

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