Den Automation

jouster

Couldn’t agree with that more.  

In my home and group of friends and family, I am the go to person for things tech as I’m sure we all are, and I do like to be first with a lot of things just because I like to play but it’s incredibly frustrating when stuff falls down for no apparent reason and that’s for someone like me that supposedly knows how this stuff  works.  I can only imagine how frustrating this is for people who don’t have a clue or have had it installed for them

The majority of people still get incredibly annoyed when their WiFi doesn’t work properly or there smart TV stops doing something simple. Throw power cuts and system failure into the mix and all of a sudden these smart systems start to look very dumb.

Lots of us have backups for photos and music.  And second laptops or computers. But how many of ya have a second HA controller sitting in a cupboard for when the current one dies or blows up unexpectedly. That has to be a very small number I’m sure.  Turnaround time for a new unit or a repair could be anything from a few days to a few weeks, how does a system function without that brain in between controlling everything.

So as @mushii said, it’s not just about what happens when someone doesn’t want to use it or know how to use it. It’s what happens when it WONT work.

Hence, for me Den looks to be a great mix of old and new.

Desmo

This sentence is signature worthy

Lesmor

I don't entirely buy into the energy saving part of HA
My RF plug in sockets still consume electricity when switched off (0.6 watt per plug) it is the same with my Broadlink light switch panel
Yes the attached equipment is no longer in standby but I suspect that the trickle electricity consumed by the socket exceeds that of some of my appliances
If you were to change every switch and socket in the house you end up using more energy with HA not less
Another downside I discovered is that if there is a power outage when power is restored all of my Hive bulbs default to On , IMO not smart if you were away for 2 weeks holiday
When writing this it just occured that I never checked my Hive socket to see if it does the same

jouster

I think details would be needed on a by system basis to determine power/cost savings.  

EU legislation dictates that products must now uses 1w or less in standby which equates to circa £1.25 a year.  That’s for one device.  I have 15 Sonos Products, 8 Echo Products, 4 TVs, the list goes on.  

Being able to shut these down fully when not in use (overnight)and when away for long periods of time (at work all day, holiday for a few days or weeks) would be advantageous IF they save money

Assuming 25 devices at home using the numbers above equates to around £30 a year.  Far less than one socket or switch but multiply that over the head and it certainly adds up. This is of course assuming all products are relatively new as older kit consumes far more power in standby. I still have a very competent Kuro plasma which has been calibrated so at this point I feel no need to upgrade it. I KNOW that it’s a power hog in use and probably in standby but as it has an off switch on the TV I’m able to, and do shut it down if not in use for prolonged period of time and even most nights.

I’ve asked Den what their power consumption is so I can see how it compares.

This HA stuff ain’t cheap [emoji23][emoji23]

Bl4ckGryph0n

For lights especially when it doesn’t work, the normal human behaviour of flicking the switch a couple of times overrides it

Don’t get me wrong, having the ability to control the power supply remotely is nice, but wouldn’t be my priority where I’d spend the money. It’s more like a finishing touch opposed to starting point to get the benefit. In my opinion.

Lesmor

It also surprises me in the energy saving era as to why modern tv's and the like don't actually switch off but go into standby

Jamie

The rules governing energy use in standby have been dramatically tightened up in the last 10 years. As much as lots of people are concerned about power usage the issue is a lot smaller than it used to be.

I remember out rediffusion TV in the late 70s, you pressed the off button on the remote and the power switch popped out, it didn't even have a standby mode and could only be turned on at the set itself. What a pain in the bum that was.

Standby and off-mode - Energy - European Commission

jouster

I had a snooker queue taped to a tennis racket for reach to turned off my bedroom TV when I was a kid.  

Who needs a remote.

mushii

It surprises me that in a modern energy saving era, housebuilders don't make their houses far more energy efficient by default, they normally do the bare minimum required by building regulations. If we get this into context of energy usage, a couple of mobile phone chargers using an additional 0.5w of energy when left on compared to the thousands of watts of energy leaking out of the walls, ceilings, windows of domestic properties every year is insignificant. When you compare the energy efficiency of something like a passivhous against a modern built property, it is the difference between a 7w LED bulb vs 100w incandescent bulb.
Lets not dress-up HA as an energy saving device. Energy saving maybe a nice benefit, but it isn't the primary reason that we install it, convenience is the main driver (for most people).

jouster

I agree with you to a point but spending money on smart lighting for ME is a waste as my light switches are all placed where they need to be (we placed them all when we changed the plans).  I don’t personally have any need to automated lights and all my friends that do have them have Hello fella a nightmare with family let alone guests turning off lights at the switch. I know there are way round that now but it just seems like throwing money away when some of the bulbs are far from cheap.  

I’ve had SMD LED bulbs in the home for the past 8 years and certainly made huge savings since then but lights are rarely left on anywhere (although have three kids between 2-6 I’m sure that will change) so the ability to switch on a plethora of light automatically or by voice doesn’t have any interest to me right now.

As someone with a decent collection of smart plugs. The ability to away with them entirely, in turn reducing the need for thought in placement regarding furniture with said plugs.
Here is a WeMo insight plug (switching and power consumption info)  connected to a dehumidifier for example.   Not too ugly but it would mean placing a book case in front of it wouldn’t work at all.  It’s also not the best looking device.

                                                                               

On top of the benefits to me above,  actually gaining information with energy monitoring and ability to be reminded if things have been left on, irons, hair straighteners and the such (a wife and two girls....oh and that’s about the straighteners, not the iron [emoji6]) is definitely useful in my opinion.