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The latest development - and the best opportunity for ambitious electricians

With all the developments of technology - energy monitoring, ventilation, heating, wi-fi throughout homes as well as offices, security systems in most properties, etc. - there is a widely recognised need for the next generation of electrical installation to enable the residents to operate all functions in their home from one central location, at the same time as monitoring – and therefore possibly reducing – their energy consumption. In addition, most people have an expectation of a safer and more comfortable living environment.

Ever-changing technologies and today’s digital age have a strong impact on our lives and the world we live in. Encyclopaedias have been replaced by the internet and online search engines; hard disks have replaced filing cabinets. Mobile devices have replaced traditional telephones whilst personal stereo devices have been quickly replaced by iPods and MP3 players.

The general set-up of electrical networks and the options they offer have remained largely unchanged over the past 30 years. This is remarkable when you consider the major changes we have witnessed in our way of life and in the way we communicate with the rest of the world. With the increasing demand for housing, new-build homes are being built with new towns and villages planned throughout the southeast of England - and many other parts as well. In addition, the constant supply of television programmes encouraging and showing viewers how to upgrade their homes is creating an awareness of - and demand for - the latest gadgetry as well as design styles.

Controls

Mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPad and the multitude of other tablet PCs and smartphones have also contributed to making today’s consumers technology savvy – and keen to enjoy the benefits of increased control and convenience in their homes. The easy familiarity of such devices means that by introducing apps to give total control of home functions such as heating, lighting and security are suddenly much more widely available and also far more acceptable.

The increasing aspiration to access celebrity lifestyles also means that there is an increasing level of desire for this type of home control installation to be made available at affordable prices.

Niko Home Control operates functions, such as:

• Dimming lighting control
•  Motors (e.g. roll-down shutters, curtains or sun blinds) 
• Ventilation control 
• Intelligent push buttons with back-lit colour display 
• Light scene settings: to enable the householder to create different mood settings for different occasions
• Sensor-controlled mood settings
• Thermostats that can be mounted in any room fitted with a radiator, floor-heating system, heating unit or cooling unit. With different zones within a house allowing for each zone to be heated or cooled at different times depending on the lifestyle routines of the residents. 
• Measuring modules (electricity meter or pulse counter), so that the resident can monitor his energy usage and consumption - and make intelligent choices if he wants to economise.
• Features such as a switch to turn off all lights and other selected appliances / circuits upon leaving the home and to activate presence simulation.

Lighting control

Light is no longer a luxury – everyone wants their home to be well lit. Having easy control over all the lights within the home from a comfortable position is now accepted to be more of a necessity than a luxury. Lighting developments have also brought new changes. Several types of new light sources have been introduced while traditional incandescent lamps are disappearing. This has created a whole new range of possibilities in the field of mood, colour and accent lighting for the home. New light sources such as these also use far less energy than traditional bulbs.

Providing a fully integrated home control and energy monitoring installation in a home has many benefi ts for the resident:

Benefits

User-friendliness:

• easy-to-use controls: push buttons, display, touchscreen and smartphone
• Niko Home Control: central operation of all functions at home, such as lighting, ventilation, heating, roll-down shutters, motion detectors, etc. Switching and dimming of new light bulb types, such as dimmable compact fluorescent lamps and dimmable LED lights
• low-threshold, flexible installation 
• the building supervisor decides which functions he wants to include in the Niko Home Control installation 
• the resident maintains ultimate control by selecting different settings and preferences himself (e.g. how long the garage or driveway lights should stay lit after leaving the property) 
• compact Niko Home Control modules require minimal space in the electrical cabinet

Energy efficiency: 

• Niko Home Control measures the energy consumption and production of the home: energy-saving features such as zone heating, ventilation and displayed energy consumption. Provides insight into the resident’s energy consumption at any time (electricity, gas and water). Promotes active energy savings and helps prevent energy wastage 
• the installation itself uses a minimal amount of energy 
• with the simple press of a button, the resident switches off all lights and selected socket outlets and turns down the heating and ventilation leaving the home 

Increased security:

• Niko Home Control integrates several security functions, such as presence simulation, motion detectors, a burglar alarm, a panic button, etc. 
• the risk of fire or overheating is reduced by switching off socket outlets.

Modular:

• the building supervisor decides whether or not to include certain functions in the Niko Home Control installation: monitoring energy consumption, lighting control, heating, ventilation, etc.

Budget-friendliness:

• great added value for a limited additional cost to the construction project

Timeless design:

• control units available in any Niko finish 
• the Niko Home Control touchscreen follows the same design 

User-friendly operation via:

• Push button
• Mood control with display 
• Automatic operation via the motion detector 
• Central touchscreen
• Smartphone 
• A single press on a button or by using a light-specific dimming control unit with personal settings to dim any light 
• Compact controls (up to six-fold) requiring minimal space on the wall

As the environment comes increasingly under pressure from mankind, this kind of installation also makes sense in terms of reducing the potentially damaging effects of everyday living.

• Best use of the available options for light sources (LEDs, energy-saving lamps, halogen lamps and incandescent lamps) and dimming of new energy-saving light bulbs (dimmable LED and energy-saving lamps). 
• Ultralow energy consumption due to the bistable relays in the switching modules.

Ventilation control

A ventilation system will help maintain a healthy climate within the home and reduce the loss of energy compared to traditional windows that open. Unfortunately, even ventilation systems create energy loss.

By extracting hot air, part of the heating capacity is lost. In new homes, this translates into a heat loss of 20 to 25%. Heat loss during ventilation and electricity consumption are some of the main reasons why you should opt for smart ventilation control. This way, the home will only be ventilated when required, without wasting energy.

Setting up this kind of installation should be very straightforward - even with control options that include wall keypads – like switches, but with more functions, touchscreen, or even using an iPhone as a remote control.

Keeping up-to-date - and up with the best

The world is a fast-changing place and consumers are becoming increasingly critical of the service they receive. Anyone who wants to succeed offering a specialist service, such as an electrician, needs to be sure that they are able to offer something more - and better - than their competitors.

Reputable manufacturers who are committed to operating in this market work hard to ensure that their customers are properly trained and supported so that they can offer a very professional service to consumers. Most manufacturers will provide in-depth product and installation training to electricians and help them to deliver the right solution to their customers.

Once qualified, you should be looking for the specific training that manufacturers offer to ensure that you are able to provide the right advice to your customers and deliver to them the best solutions that are available.

Niko Home Control is available now for installation in the UK. To find out more about Niko Home Control, visit: www.nikohomecontrol.co.uk

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