Case Study - More for much le$$.

We were approached by the friend of a client to create a system for a new home he was building in Breckenridge, CO. Our new client lives in Colorado Springs and his new Breckenridge residence would be a vacation home that would be un-occupied more than occupied. Our client had a number of requests for his new home and a very tight budget. A couple of the things that Connected Technologies is famous for is doing more with less and respecting a clients budget, so this was a good fit.

Our client wanted a fairly basic music system that he could plug his iPod into. He also wanted a simple yet fun surround sound system to enjoy after skiing. We discussed lighting design and lighting control and it was decided that Connected Technologies would both design the lighting and provide a control system. Security was also discussed and would be included. The most interesting discussion centered on an automation system.

Our client wanted to conserve energy, feel comfortable that the house was secure, and allow friends and family to use the house and know that they turned everything off and set the alarm, all from Colorado Springs some 90 miles away. I'm sure you are thinking, "that's easy, Crestron or AMX could do that in their sleep". That's correct; a high end automation system could easily do this, even in 2004 when this project was designed. Had we tried to meet our clients needs with a traditional system it could have cost upwards of $250,000. That was about five times the clients' budget. So how do you design and install a 50 zone lighting control system, a 30 zone security system with full smoke and heat detection, a music system, a surround sound entertainment system, temperature control, and remote access for $50k? Here's how .....

During our design interviews we discovered that our clients music and entertainment needs were pretty basic. We installed speakers in the great room and kitchen, the dining room, the main and guest master bedrooms and baths, and the deck. The good news for the budget was that we could do all of this using a simple Yamaha stereo receiver with a CD changer and an iPod connection at the kitchen counter. Niles Audio Intellipad's in the main master and the kitchen provide simple convenient control.  The Intellipad provides the ability to select sources, adjust volume and turn off the system off without training.

The home has a small entertainment area in the lower level. This area features a 50" LCD rear projection television setting on a stand that was available from the TV manufacturer. In-wall speakers for the front and rear with a moderate subwoofer and abasic Yamaha surround sound receiver make up the audio system. A progressive scan DVD and digital cable box are connected as sources. The system is easy to use thanks to the inclusion of a Universal Remote Control remote. One button press access is simple and convenient and the bean bags give the room a cool retro look.

While both of these systems may seem very basic they are still a lot of fun and saved dollars for application to the other systems that were more important to our client.

The cost effective automation system was created by combining the intelligence and capabilities of the lighting and security system along with creative application of old school relay technology. First we'll talk about the normal functionality of each of these systems and then we'll discuss the special things we made them do.

The security system includes intrusion detection to client spec's. For obvious reasons we don't discuss the details of this detection. Breckenridge requires a full NFPA monitored fire system be installed in all residences. This system has to be designed and submitted for review and inspection to the local fire department. Connected Technologies is one of the few low voltage integrators with two NICET level II certified staff members.

The lighting control system from Lutron is tied into lighting in all rooms of the house except the guest bedrooms. The Lutron system reduces the wall clutter and makes the beautiful lighting easily accessible. From wall mounted keypads the lighting is configured to respond to activities in the home. A single button press adapts the lighting  from cooking to dining to hanging out without ever having to touch a light switch.

Now let's discuss all of the cool, inexpensive automation stuff.

Among the many requests was to achieve energy savings. Like many vacation homes this home might go for several weeks without an occupant. The home features thirteen zones of radiant floor heat. Radiant heat is very efficient and is at its' most efficient when you set it at one temperature and leave it there. If you are only going to be gone for a few days or even a week it's more cost effective to leave the system set to the same temperature. However, when you're gone for longer periods it is more efficient to reduce the temperature. There are many smart thermostats available that will do this. They can be addressed in many ways from ethernet to contact closure. We chose to use the DSC thermostat that integrated to the security system. When we looked at the cost of the thermostat, about $200, and multiplied it by 13 and added the wiring and programming the total cost was substantial. Because we planned to use the security system as the intelligence to automate the heating, all of these zones created a problem. The number of zones would have required us to substantially upgrade the security system. However, using the security system and its compatible thermostat provided too many benefits at a potentially reasonable price. These benefits include the ability to set back or restore the temperature remotely and the ability to check the temperature from any touch tone phone.

Our solution was to install one smart thermostat and use an innovative relay network to override the inexpensive in-room thermostats when the vacation mode is engaged. We had done this once before in Breckenridge and it had worked flawlessly for over five years at the time. Basically what we did was to turn a thirteen zone heating system into a single zone to conserve energy. When the security system is told to engage the vacation mode the centrally located thermostat becomes the only thermostat and is set to 55 degrees. This overrides all of the local thermostats. The system is designed to fail "safe" so that if something goes wrong the basic thermostats in each area take over again. Using the security systems' voice mail type interface the vacation mode can be turned on/off from any touch tone phone. When it is turned off the local thermostats take over again and the temperature returns to normal. The client may also check the temperature inside the home through the phone interface.

The relay network was somewhat labor intensive, but even so was still substantially less expensive than the alternative. The system is very effective and has been the picture of reliability.

The second major request for the automation system was to provide the client peace of mind that the home was shut down properly by his guests. He frequently allows his family to use the home and was concerned that one of them would leave the home with a window open, the lights on, the stereo playing, or something like that. Here's what we did about that.

To address the windows we contacted every window in the house, but not to detect an intruder as they generally don't open windows after they break them. We did it so that the security system would not arm without closing every window. The "ready" light will not activate on the DSC keypad and the security system will not arm if any of the windows are open. Any open zone will display on the security keypad in English text.

We created a pretty simple solution for the stereo. Using the switched outlets on the stereo and surround receivers we used a relay to interface to the security system and again the security system will not arm if the stereo or surround sound system is not turned off. You may ask "why not turn off the stereo when the security system arms"? While it is much more "automated" it costs a lot more to do it that way. Our solution cost about $50. A contact closure to IR interface with macro capability is hundreds of dollars.

Another concern was that a gas fireplace could be left on accidentally. This happened once in our home and when we returned eight hours later it was 115 degrees in our bedroom. This was a concern shared by our client. He was concerned both while the home was occupied (someone could go to bed or go skiing and leave a fire burning) as well as when the home was shut down upon leaving. Our solution for this was to have the Lutron lighting system operate the flame control. This is a simple contact closure so it was relatively easy to integrate. Now the home's GOODNIGHT, ALL OFF, and AWAY scenes could shut down all gas fireplaces. The Lutron system is also integrated into the security system and automatically shuts down the lighting and fireplaces when it is armed in the AWAY mode. Here's what that looks like:

The lighting control system has also been integrated with the security system in a way that will allow the vacation mode to be engaged prior to leaving the home. By pressing the VACATION button on the Lutron keypad at the mud room the energy conservation mode is automatically engaged while the lights and fireplaces are simultaneously shut down.

I know this is a lot of detail. Maybe an example of how this all works together will help;

Our client calls his Breckenridge home from Colorado Springs the day before he drives up. He disengages the vacation mode and by the time he arrives the home is a comfortable 69 degrees. When he arrives he plugs in his iPod at the kitchen counter and hits play. He then presses the iPod button on the keypad next to the kitchen. His favorite music plays throughout the house. While he is there everything works just like a normal house. When he returns to Colorado Springs he arms the security system and presses the VACATION button to set the temperature button back, arms the alarm and leaves.

The day before his brother arrives he repeats the phone call to set the temperature to normal. Again, everything works like a normal home while his brother is there. There is no special knowledge required, and no large manuals to read. When his brother is prepared to leave the security system (via the LCD keypad at the mudroom door) informs him that it won't arm because a window in the SE bedroom is open and the stereo system is still running. Once he rectifies these situations the security system arms and he leaves the house, unaware that the fireplace in the guest suite was on and was turned off by the Lutron system. Later that day our client calls and checks that the security system was armed (knowing that all is well if it was) and re-engages the vacation mode.

Basically we examined each reasonable concern and came up with a simple, reliable and relatively inexpensive way to create peace of mind for our client. None of what we did is particularly flashy. As a matter of fact we entered this home in CEDIA's design contest and were trounced by an AMX or Crestron system. Apparently our solutions were not sophisticated enough for the judges. No matter, the client loves it and this home is truly an example of effective automation.  Thanks to the voice mail type interface and the simplicity of the Lutron equipment the system is very simple to operate and all for about one fifth the price of a fancy schmancy automation system. Although still expensive by many standards, this level of automation actually has a chance to pay itself off someday. We were fortunate enough to have this home featured in Electronic House magazine. You can read the article here.