SmartHome Controls
automating the infrastructure of the home
Luxury apartment, Belgravia, London
smartkontrols 21st Century heating and air conditioning control is one of the innovative, high-tech features of a luxury apartment located in the heart of London’s most exclusive residential district, Belgravia.
Representing the epitome of modern living, this impressively refurbished three-bedroom apartment in Upper Belgrave Street is comprehensively equipped with the very latest in home automation technology.
smartkontrols worked closely with a Kent-based custom installation company, to provide an efficient and accessible heating and cooling control solution, which integrates seamlessly with the apartment’s other automation networks. It provides advanced control of the high efficiency Keston boiler which serves the underfloor heating in the basement and bathroom areas as well as the cast iron radiators in other parts of the apartment.
The smartkontrols system also controls the split system heat pump air conditioning units, which provide warm or cool air into the drawing room, dining room and master bedroom suite, as required.
Overall, this exclusive property is divided up into nine fully independent heating and cooling zones. The smartkontrols control system allows temperatures and occupancy times to be individually set up and adjusted, offering complete flexibility for each room, as desired. Thimble-size temperature sensors are discreetly located in each controlled area. Connected to the system’s zone controllers, they provide accurate temperature readings for each zone in the apartment, allowing the smartkontrols system to determine when heating or cooling should be activated.
Optimum energy efficiency is maintained at all times, with the boiler only running when a zone needs it to run.
The intelligent smartkontrols system also incorporates a fabric protection feature. When the apartment is unoccupied, this will automatically bring on the heating if the zone temperatures fall below 10’C, eliminating problems with dampness and humidity and preventing damage to the building structure and contents.
Summary
- 9 temperature/ time zones
- 3 air conditioning zones
- domestic hot water>
- full integration with Crestron home automation
- full integration with air conditioning
- thimble sensors provide discreet accurate temperature readings for each zone
- intelligent actuators provide more accurate energy efficient radiator control than standard thermally actuated valves
The hot water system and towel rails also feature an automatic compensation adjustment facility which takes ambient conditions into account when deciding the appropriate water temperature.
smartkontrols intelligent actuators are used for local control of the apartment’s radiator circuit. Located on the head of each radiator valve, they open or close in response to temperature changes, providing far more accurate and responsive heating control than is possible with ordinary Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs). These unique, easy to install, intelligent products are connected to the control network through a two-wire bus that carries both data and power to the actuator.
The smartkontrols system has been seamlessly integrated with a Crestron home automation network which provides end-users with easy, accessible control of the lighting system, multi-room AV, access control systems and automated curtains and blinds. Each room in the property benefits from its own Crestron touch screen interface panel, allowing the HVAC system to be accessed, and temperature set points and other variables adjusted.
A portable panel is provided, offering the homeowner total flexibility and independent control as standard, whilst a smartkontrols unique SmartServer makes it possible to access the system via the Internet from anywhere in the world.
All smartkontrols modules and zone controllers in the system are hidden from view within a compact SmartBox panel, avoiding banks of unsightly switches and any “wall acne” problems in the luxury interior.
A cellular-phone based modem link provides dial-in access to the control system, negating the need for a telephone line, allowing smartkontrols to monitor the performance of the system and diagnose any faults or heating system problems from a remote location.
smartkontrols is the market leader in intelligent home heating and air conditioning control. Systems have been successfully installed in hundreds of prestigious domestic developments and featured on television. A member of CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association)