I’m not really into this whole ‘automate everything that moves’ thing. I really can’t see the point of having remote control operated doors, for example. It seems like a waste of technology to me, let alone energy. If I want to open a door, it’s usually because I want to go through it and I have this really useful bit of technology called a hand attached to my all-purpose reaching device, also known as an arm, which generally does the trick.
But there is one thing I’d like to automate in my new home and that’s the lights. I work from home and I love it because it means I have complete sovereignty over my working environment. Messy or tidy? Radio or silence? Sofa or desk? I decide.
The only thing that annoys me is that when the clouds gather over N7, as they have right now, the room gets very dismal. I abhor dimness when I am working, preferring a bright and airy aspect to my work space. But even clouds can make it dark enough in here that I have to turn the lights on. And then, as soon as the clouds move on, I have to get up and turn the lights off again so that I don’t waste electricity.
How much better would it be, not to mention energy efficient, if I had a light sensor that turned the lights up for me when it got dim inside and then turned them off again when the sun came out once more. There’s got to be a system somewhere that does it, I just have to find it!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
chrismear 08.07.08 at 6:22 pm
Obviously what you need is a light-collecting radar dish on your roof:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ5MiLqb5VE
jonp 08.08.08 at 3:58 pm
The adjustable daylight sensors used for exterior lighting could undoubtedly be used for this, since they are designed to switch the same voltages. They tend to be slightly big and ugly, but hey.
Just make sure you leave the switch in place as a manual override.
Suw 08.08.08 at 7:21 pm
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. If there’s not already a system on the market that does this, it should be fairly easy to put one together that works intelligently. You need a sensor internally to switch the light on (or slowly bring the light up) as external conditions dim, and then a sensor externally to bring the lights down as the sun comes out.
Definitely need to have a manual override - you don’t want the thing switching on at night. And you probably want to have some sort of indicator on the light switch to remind you that it’s on. Hm. wonder whether it should be paired with motion sensor to check if anyone is in the room…
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