By 2026, three million South African households will adopt smart home technologies, up from 1.6 million in 2022. This is being driven by time-pressed consumers increasingly turning to technology for greater convenience and efficiency. With a poll amongst VISI readers revealing that the majority would opt to give their kitchens a spring ‘update’, why shouldn’t this start with making the heart of their homes smart?

Dr Andrew Dickson, Executive: Engineering at CBI-electric: low voltage says that with the cost of renovating a kitchen ranging from R10 000 to R250 000+, depending on the size of the kitchen and extent of the remodelling project, a more cost-effective way of making your kitchen work better for you would be to install smart home technologies.

“Not only will this mean a more modern kitchen in the time it takes to change a plug, but also one that actually helps you monitor, manage and control your energy consumption – especially with dishwashers, induction stoves and washing machines being the biggest power consumption culprits, he adds. “Additionally, some estate agents say that it could even increase the value of your home.”

Dr Dickson breaks down how homeowners can go about incorporating smart home technology into their kitchens to get the most benefit:

Waste not

With geysers using the most electricity out of all of a home’s appliances – approximately 1,984 kWh annually on average – one of the best ways to curb consumption would be to install a Smart Controller as this enables you to schedule the geyser to turn on and off at specific times. For instance, you could schedule for it to switch on an hour or two before mealtimes to ensure that there is sufficient hot water for prepping and cleaning up after meals. By keeping the geyser off at all other times, this can reduce consumption by 23%.

Peace of mind

Ever left home and then later worried about whether you switched the stove off? A Smart Isolator could be used to not only check and see whether your oven or stove is on from anywhere in the world via an app on your smartphone and/or tablet, but also turn it off

Lower standby electricity usage

Did you know that leaving multiple appliances on standby could be responsible for up to 10% of your household’s electricity bill? This makes sense seeing that the energy consumed by a coffeemaker on standby, for example, accounts for up to 55% of the total energy used by the appliance. With a Smart Plug, you can switch off appliances when not in use. Even better, you can turn them on remotely when needed, meaning that you can get the coffeemaker to start brewing even before you get out of bed.

Lighten the load

According to a Twitter poll by Gumtree, 61.6% of South Africans’ electric appliances stopped working due to power surges caused by load shedding. However, smart technologies can protect appliances from voltage fluctuations. Users can set a minimum and maximum ‘safe operating voltage range’ via an app. If the voltage is unstable, the smart device will monitor the voltage levels and only allow power to the appliance once it is within the safe operating voltage range. Alternatively, once power is restored, the smart devices can be set to automatically delay the re-energising of white goods like fridges, freezers and dishwashers, providing a basic level of protection against the likes of switching transients typically associated with system restore after loadshedding.

“It’s easy to build your dream kitchen one smart device at a time,” concludes Dickson.

With the locally developed and manufactured Astute Smart Range from CBI-electric: low voltage, everyone can have a smarter kitchen. Go to cbi-lowvoltage.co.za for more information.

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It is predicted that by 2050, nearly 70% of people worldwide will reside in urban areas, up from 55% of the global population who currently live in cities.

As a result, 78% of the world’s energy is being consumed in cities which produce more than 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. This is set to increase following the speed and scale of urbanisation. To mitigate this impact, smart cities may provide a solution to reduce energy consumption while still meeting service demand, improving grid stability and overall quality of life.

In positive news, two years after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his future plans to build the first smart city in Lanseria, the draft master plan has been completed and is out for public comment. The city will house between 350 000 and 500 000 occupants within the next decade.

Dr Andrew Dickson, Engineering Executive at CBI-electric: low voltage says that while our Government works towards building new smart cities, South African citizens can start building their own smart cities at home by investing in smart home technologies. “This is because smart homes will be a key component in the creation of smarter cities.”

Smarter consumption

He explains that South African households consume roughly 17% of the country’s total grid electrical energy and can account for up to 35% of national electricity demand during peak period. “Installing smart home devices, which use an internet-connection to enable the remote monitoring and management of appliances and systems such as lighting and heating, can help improve energy efficiency in the residential sector. This is because smart home devices not only enable users to keep an eye on how much electricity their appliances and systems consume, but also schedule them to turn on and off at specific times on a daily or periodic basis to reduce consumption.

“The need for these solutions is all the more pressing when one considers that a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are the result of household energy consumption. To put this in perspective, South Africa is the 14th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, with the average South African emitting approximately 7.41 tons of CO2 – nearly double that of the world average of 4.47 metric tons per person. These emissions result from everyday routines such as turning air conditioning systems on and off, however, home automation has been found to reduce emissions by 12.78% – something which will be crucial for helping South Africa fulfil its commitment to limit its annual greenhouse gas emissions to between 398 to 440 million tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the Nottingham City Council revealed that the city managed to reduce CO2 emissions by 26% from 2005 levels using smart homes as one of the tactical solutions.”

City-wide benefits

Dickson notes that smart homes also present cost-saving opportunities not just for those living within them but also for the cities in which they are situated. “By being able to remotely monitor their energy consumption, smart homeowners are able to save on their monthly electricity bills. But imagine what would happen if this concept was applied to a city-wide housing grid. This could enable local authorities to track energy usage and spikes across the community, ensuring fairer pricing as well as the ability to tackle outages, energy leaks and the environmental issues associated with overuse.”

He concludes by saying, “With 70% of South Africans set to be living in urban areas by 2030 and the cities of Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town and Ethekwini under pressure to accommodate everyone, now’s the time for investment in smart home technology. I envisage smart homes working together to benefit all citizens and positively impact our planet.”

For more information, go to cbi-lowvoltage.co.za.

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Dr Andrew Dickson, Executive: Engineering at CBI-electric: low voltage, says that while the COVID-19 crisis triggered widespread adoption of smart products with consumers transforming their living spaces into places of work, learning, and leisure, South Africans lagged behind the trend due in part to common misconceptions in the market.  

“These need to be addressed or else South Africans will continue to miss out on the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies like the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and others,” he says. 

Below, Dickson busts five of the most common misconceptions keeping South Africans from enjoying smarter homes: 

Misconception 1: Smart homes aren’t compatible with load shedding  

While users might not be able to operate their smart devices during load shedding, they can protect appliances from voltage fluctuations as a result of load shedding which can damage electrical appliances. To prevent this, users can set a minimum and maximum ‘safe operating voltage range’ on their smart devices via the app. If the voltage is unstable, the smart device will monitor the voltage levels and only allow power to the appliance once it is within the safe operating voltage range. 

Misconception 2: Users need to be tech-savvy to use smart devices 

To use a smart device, all that homeowners need is a smartphone or tablet and Wi-Fi with an internet connection. So, if they can operate a smartphone, they’ll be able to operate a smart home. Smart home apps are typically designed with the user in mind so are very simple to operate. Users can also always override the devices by manually switching them on or off. 

Misconception 3: Smart homes consume a lot of energy 

Smart home devices actually help homeowners to monitor their energy usage so they can control consumption. Not only can users keep an eye on which items are consuming the most electricity but also turn them off when not in use and schedule when they are turned back on. For instance, users can pre-determine which days their irrigation system goes on and for how long. They can even prevent it from switching on if it’s raining through an automation, since weather apps can be integrated into smart home apps. 

Misconception 4: Smart homes are unsafe 

Security is an understandable concern, especially when it comes to one’s home. Most companies take extra precautions to ensure that smart devices are tamper-proof. But there are also a few precautions customers can take such as using a router with a strong firewall and selecting a unique and strong password to use on the app. 

Smart devices can help make homes safer as homeowners can schedule their lights to be switched on at night, so they won’t have to come back to a dark house. 

Misconception 5: Smart homes are expensive to deploy 

Contrary to popular belief, homeowners won’t need to rewire their homes. Smart home devices like smart plugs, isolators and controllers can easily be installed by an electrician and devices like the Astute Range don’t require any additional wiring or hubs. Once these are fitted, users can control, monitor and schedule their lights, geyser, pool pump, and appliances remotely via an app on their smartphone and/or tablet. They also don’t need to do this all at once – they can start with one component and build up over time.  

“Smart homes are the way of the future, don’t get left behind!” concludes Dr Dickson.  

For more information about CBI Electric: low voltage, visit cbi-lowvoltage.co.za or follow CBI-electric: low voltage on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The post Busting the Five Most Common Smart Home Misconceptions  appeared first on Visi.

It is a well-known fact that consumers’ electricity bills increase during winter as we use more energy trying to stay warm. Plus, we spend more time in our heated homes avoiding the icy elements outside.

But this year, South Africans are faced with even higher bills following an 8.61% increase on municipal electricity tariffs by energy regulator Nersa, which will impact cash-strapped homeowners even further. However, there are energy-efficient ways to fend off the cold this winter and keep electricity bills down.

Dr Andrew Dickson, Executive: Engineering at CBI-electric: low voltage says that with this price increase, it now costs R81,85 to use a wall panel heater for three hours a day for 30 days, R146.36 to do the same with underfloor heating, and a whopping R346.64 to run a three-bar electric heater over the same period. “This has prompted South Africans to look for new ways to warm up this winter. One way to do this is through tech which is disrupting every aspect of our lives.”

He shares four tech tools that could help South Africans stay toasty without getting burnt by their next electricity bill:  

Smart plugs

These allow you to control when your heater, electric blanket and underfloor heating switches on or off. By being able to schedule these appliances using a timer, it can help to save electricity and, at the same time, ensure safety as you won’t need to worry about whether you left the heater on. What’s more, when it’s hard to get out of bed on those icy winter mornings, all you need to do is set a timer to warm up the room before you even wake up. With wall panel heaters already having the lowest running costs, you can get even more bang for your buck by controlling its usage with a smart plug.

Air purifier fan heaters

Usable all year round, these appliances heat rooms in winter, keep them cool in summer and continually clean the air. Not only do they heat up spaces more effectively than traditional heaters since they circulate air, but they do so in a more energy efficient way too. One of the reasons for this is because users can select the precise degree to which they want the device to heat up to – 30°C for instance – and it will automatically shut off and on to maintain this, whereas other heaters stay on and tend to overheat a room, wasting electricity. Additionally, these gadgets are better for users’ health since they trap and remove viruses, bacteria, household dust, pet dander, pollen, outdoor pollution, dust mites, mould spores, smoke and other allergens and pollutants from the air. Cleaner air means fewer air-pollution-related illnesses, which in turn saves costs.

Smart isolators

These are energy monitoring, scheduling and controlling switches with load management and automation capabilities. One of the ways you can use an isolator is to remotely operate your geyser, ensuring that it is only on for a certain amount of time to manage energy consumption and save electricity while also ensuring that there is always hot water available for a shower or bath. With smart isolators you can also manage loads which draw a large amount of energy, ensuring only one device is on at any given moment. As an example, when you switch the stove on, the geyser is automatically switched off, which aids in limiting the consumption of your household at any given time.

Heat pumps

With geysers being responsible for between 30% and 50% of household electricity consumption, heat pump water heaters could provide a more energy efficient solution. These tools, which are usually installed in or on the roof or mounted on exterior walls, work on the same principle as a refrigerator, but instead of pumping heat out of the fridge to keep it cool, they pump heat into your water. They do this by extracting heat from the outside air and transferring it to the water, whereas traditional geysers use an electrical source to do so. Heating water with a heat pump uses two thirds less energy than traditional geysers. With one of these installations, you can languish in a hot shower guilt free!

“With the right tools you can save money, stay warm, make your home smarter, and become more energy efficient,” concludes Dickson.

For more information about CBI Electric: low voltage, visit cbi-lowvoltage.co.za or follow CBI-electric: low voltage on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The post 4 Hot Tech Tools to Cost-Efficiently Warm Your Home this Winter appeared first on Visi.

With the locally developed and manufactured Astute Smart Plug from CBI-electric: low voltage, everyone can have a smarter home.

As digital developments become part of our daily lives, smart homes are no longer a thing of the future, but a reality of the present. The aim: to make life more convenient by having our homes working for us and around our schedules. Now, your day could start like this: As your alarm goes off at 6am, your bedside lamp turns on simultaneously. It’s winter, so your heater has been switched on an hour before you wake up, ensuring that it’s not too cold for venturing out of bed. Minutes later, you get a notification on your phone, informing you that the coffee machine has percolated. And these are just a few examples.

Although this sounds like a lot of technology, time and effort to install, all this can be done using one product – a smart plug. You can turn any appliance into a ‘smart’ appliance by replacing your standard 4×4 plugs with an Astute Smart Plug (ASP) from CBI-electric: low voltage.

These Wi-Fi-enabled plugs allow appliances to be controlled, monitored and scheduled remotely via an app on your smartphone and/or tablet. They can be easily installed by an electrician and don’t require additional wiring or hubs. Once fitted, they communicate with the app using your home’s internet connection. Even if the internet goes out, it can still do this using the Local Area Network which interconnects devices within a limited area such as a residence, school, or office building.

South Africans are becoming more energy efficient as the country’s carbon emissions are above the global average. In addition to automating your appliances, smart plugs help you to monitor your energy usage so you can control consumption. Smart plugs can help you keep an eye on the amount of power that electronic devices consume, even when they are on standby. This is vital seeing that standby power use is responsible for 2% of the total electricity consumption of developing countries like South Africa and 1% of their carbon emissions[i].

The highest standby power consuming devices are laptops, desktop computers, printers, scanners, TVs and phone chargers. By connecting these appliances to smart plugs, you can switch them off when not in use or schedule them to turn on when you know you’ll be using them. This way, you can conserve electricity without even thinking about it!

You can also use smart plugs to protect your devices from voltage fluctuations caused by load shedding which can damage electrical components in plugged-in appliances. To mitigate this, users can set a minimum and maximum ‘safe operating voltage range’ for their smart plug via the app. If the voltage is not stable, the smart device will monitor the voltage levels and only allow power to the appliance once it is within a safe operating voltage range.

With the locally developed and manufactured Astute Smart Plug from CBI-electric: low voltage, everyone can have a smarter home. Go to https://cbi-lowvoltage.co.za for more information.

[i] Global Implications of Standby Power Use

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