Automated homes 'can help improve energy efficiency'

The news that German scientists are working on developing automated homes could prove good news for cutting carbon emissions, it has been suggested.

Andy Stanford-Clark, Master Inventor for IBM, said that there is massive potential for the technology when it comes to improving energy efficiency, with intelligent heating systems being just one example.

He suggested that the heating could be regulated in each room depending on whether or not someone is in it, which can save large amounts of energy.

"Knowing when windows and doors have been left open can help balance the heating, and avoid needless heat loss (e.g. a heater on in a room where the window is open)," Mr Stanford-Clark identified.

The same principle can be applied to lighting, as they are turned on and off as a person walks in and out of a room, he added.

German researchers have said that users would be able to control an array of products for their home via mobile phones and touch screens if the technology becomes widely available.

Posted by Martin Ellis