There is no doubt that we will remember the passing year for a long time, and among the numerous consequences caused by the Covid-19 virus pandemic is the global economic downturn. Although many branches of the industry suffered huge losses, the construction industry was working at full speed. Residential and business buildings were built all over Serbia. And that’s not all! Modern characteristics characterize the buildings that have sprung up, and many have been labeled “smart“ buildings.
The Law on Housing and Maintenance of Buildings determines that energy efficiency improvement is in the public interest. Still, the research data shows that as many as 85 per cent of residential buildings in Serbia do not meet the minimum requirements for energy efficiency.
If we talk about the impact on the environment, carbon dioxide emissions remain the biggest problem, and cities are considered the main culprits. Although urban areas globally occupy only two per cent of the planet’s surface, as much as 70 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions and two-thirds of the world’s energy demand come from cities, states C40.org. Buildings cause nearly a fifth of global energy-related greenhouse gas emission, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The question is, what can be done to maintain comfort while reducing energy consumption.
In focus:
With its solutions, and especially with home automation technology, ABB helps us in our efforts to achieve comfort and savings as if we were sustainably developing our cities.
When it comes to houses, ABB’s free@home® solutions are used to transform houses or apartments into smarthomes, which contributes to making everyday life easier and safer, as well as reducing energy consumption in the building by up to 30 per cent. ABB-free@home® combines all the useful functions of comfortable home automation and intercom communication system into a single system that is easy to understand and manage.
With ABB-free@home®, you can control the entire home, as usual, with a switch. It’s even more convenient to do it using a smartphone, tablet, or computer, via touch or voice control. Thanks to cooperation with ABB partners, homeowners can also control applications such as Amazon’s Alex, Philips Hu or Sonos speakers via the ABBfree@home® solution.
Blinds, lights, heating, air conditioning and intercom communication system can be operated separately or together. Blinds throughout the home can be programmed to activate automatically according to the positions of the Sun. The lights in the bathroom and the radio in the kitchen can be turned on at the push of a button and all the lights and devices that are deactivated via a switch when leaving the house.
For more efficient energy management, individual room temperatures can be fully automated depending on the owner’s daily routine. The heating can be turned off or adjusted if the window is opened or if no one is at home. Each room can be programmed according to certain wishes, thus providing optimal comfort.
Whether you are equipping a new building or renovating an old property, installing the system is flexible and easy. With wired or wireless sensors, actuators and sensor-actuator units and configuration and operation via the application, the system is futureproof protected, thus providing electricians with the easier installation of the system, and end-users with easier use. The intuitive user guide for the application allows the ABB-free@home® configuration to be done very quickly via a tablet or computer. With the app, configuring and working with the ABB-free@home® system is as easy as surfing the Internet. To begin with, a draft is created for floors and rooms. Then all available devices in the rooms are activated and arranged on the appropriate floors and rooms.
You can read the article in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine SMART CITIES, december 2020 – february 2021.
