The term "technology" refers to the application of knowledge for practical purposes.
The field of "green technology" encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods and materials from techniques for generating energy, to non-toxic cleaning products and yes, this also includes whole home audio and video as well as HDTV's and home automation products.
The present expectation is that this field will bring innovation and changes in daily life of similar magnitude to the "information technology" explosion over the last two decades. In these early stages, it is impossible to predict what "green technology" may eventually encompass but lets get creative here. There are many technologies available today that allow us to become less dependant on "dirty" forms of energy and allow our total "footprint" to be less invasive on the environment. Let us start by showing you a few of the obvious energy saving solutions that whole home and centralized systems present.
Audio systems of the past have been bulky and inefficient. They produce much heat due to the fact that they are always on. They constantly burn energy, and, until you walk up to a volume control and turn the volume up, are performing no function except to heat your home. I have even seen poor design play a role. In a client's home I have witnessed the audio system having a local HVAC thermostat nearby. No problem except that the nearest vent was 50 feet away. The heat from the audio system was causing the thermostat to do it's job and turn on the AC unit to cool it down. As they used their whole house audio system frequently, it was always on, and, needless to say, so was their cooling unit. The Solution? Prevent poor design and have us evaluate your current system. Today's whole home audio systems are more efficient. They generate less heat, take up less space, and most importantly, many are zone specific. This means until you actually turn it on from a specific location, it is not burning much energy at all. If you turn it on in the kitchen the only energy you are using is to play it in the kitchen. Many systems available today have digital local room amplification built into the local room's control unit, such as a volume control, keypad or touchscreen. This design results in better signal strength resulting in much improved musical clarity. Just think about it, instead of powering 300-1200 watts continuously to power every zone or room in your home, today's sytems provide a clear 50-70 watts only in the zone you are listening in. This uses much less energy, puts less wear on the components and greatly improves the sound quality. Upgrading your current home's power system would definately pay for itself.
Centralized distribution of audio and video components lessens electronic waste. Think about it. If every home in America reduced how many audio and video components were needed, there would be less electronic waste. Centralizing your home electronics addresses this issue directly. Everyone in the home can share components such as DVD players, cd players, blu ray players, ipods, cable boxes, media servers etc. and with the onset of network capable movie servers, we are able to change the way people access their ever growing media content. If you have a network storage device, the entire family can access 500 HD movies from a single hard-drive.This eliminates plastic cases, paper inserts and unsightly disc racks. Plus, let's face it, it's easier to find what you are looking for on a media server, than wasting time and effort looking for the misplaced or borrowed disc. You always know where to find it so you are able to save valuable time. Upgrading your home electronics, coupled with thoughtful design, can do all of this while adding luxury and control to your lifestyle.
A little information regarding HDTV's and their energy consumption is worth discussing as well. A general rule of thumb is, the bigger the screen, the more energy it takes to project an image. There are a few manufacturers that have recognized this and as a result they have begun producing screens that consume 40% less energy to produce a picture never before thought possible. The components used have much less lead, mercury and other dangerous compounds. For these reasons it would be worth thinking of replacing some of your old units. If everyone could think about these issues before buying Flat Panels we could actually reduce our power consumption greatly, which would have many possitive effects.
Now the realm of home automation products has grown to immense proportions. Most centralized home automation systems can be as simple as 2-4 rooms of audio distribution, to intricate control of many household fucntions such as HVAC control, security systems, pool controls, audio and video distribution systems, lighting, instant hot water heaters, irrigation controls, cameras, as well as an ever growing list of networking controls. Many home automation systems let you access your system controls via a web interface. This allows you to control your energy and time use from anywhere that you wish. Here are a few scenarios that would facilitate installing a home automation system. Imagine being at work having the ability to adjust your AC and lighting in certain areas of the home, even before you get there. You could also watch a camera without anyone knowing, turn off the security system for a friend, or arm the system remotely after leaving the house. Lowering the shades automatically at a certain time of day may be beneficial to great energy savings. In addition, many of the home automation systems available today store data that allows you to see when you use the most energy or when the kids enter and leave the home and what today's schedule is like, what the weather forecast is, current flight delays. You can a running grocery list throughout the home saving time running back and forth to the store. The possibilities are only limited to your lifestyle choices and needs.
All of these new technologies are valuable in their own ways. Set up a consultation with us and we can discuss how your lifestyle needs can be met. Please feel free to call us with any questions that you may have. These are some small things to think about but as a whole they have a very large impact on how society will progress.
Stephan M Rosser
CALL 941-545-3368 or 941-932-2813
