This post was automatically translated into English
With just one tap of your finger, you can turn on the lights at home, start the air conditioner, and find out if your child is in bed or still playing on the computer. Or turn on the heating before you return home to make it more comfortable when you get back.
A single click of a finger is enough to turn on the lights at home, start the air conditioner, and find out if the child is in bed or still playing on the computer. Or turn on the heating before returning home to make it more comfortable when you return. Such possibilities are offered by the smart home system, but these technologies are being implemented slowly in Lithuanian homes..
Smart home systems, or simply called “smart homes”, are information technology tools that help control all systems in buildings (ventilation, electricity, water, lighting, alarm, etc.) remotely – via a computer, tablet or mobile phone. According to real estate development experts, such a system is rapidly gaining popularity in developed countries, in some places it is even common, but in Lithuania it is gaining ground slowly.
“For example, the smart home system developed by the Lithuanian company Elsis TS provides the ability to control home devices even when not in them. For example, a person can freely check at any time and anywhere whether they have turned off the lights in the rooms, whether they have forgotten to turn on the alarm, and before returning from work, remotely set the desired temperature at home or, if it is summer, turn on the air conditioning system,” says Rasa Pečiulaitė, Head of Development and Energy Projects at Eika.
Development is hindered by old housing and prices
The development of the smart home system is hindered by the fact that old-built housing dominates in Lithuania, and the system is only applicable to new-built housing. According to R. Pečiulaitė, if the housing is old and all systems operate only mechanically, the smart home system will not be applicable there, since this system will only “talk” with smart engineering systems, which must be properly installed in the housing.
Another reason that hinders the development of smart home systems in Lithuania is the price. Currently, smart system equipment ranges from 500 to 2 thousand euros and more. However, the representative of “Eika” notes that the prices of smart home systems vary greatly and depend on the package of functions offered by manufacturers. The larger the smart home system package and the greater the part of building management, the “smarter” the building becomes and the better results can be achieved.
“Some manufacturers offer to purchase equipment and install it yourself. Others offer both the equipment and its installation. In addition, the price also depends on what part of the building’s energy resources the resident wants to manage. For example, perhaps he is only interested in the heating system and ventilation or only lighting,” says R. Pečiulaitė.
Saves electricity
People who use smart home systems notice that they provide more comfort and security, save electricity and heating costs, and perhaps the only drawback is technical failures, since all energy-consuming systems are automated.
Mindaugas Rutkauskas, who has been using a Lithuanian-made smart home system at home for five years, says that after installing it, he feels much more comfortable and secure, and he also saves energy by using it efficiently.
“First of all, by installing a smart home system, I avoid drastic temperature changes in the rooms. In addition, I receive information quickly and easily if the electricity goes out at home or if I leave the lights on. I also have peace of mind about the security of my home. And thanks to the balanced operation of heating and air conditioning systems, I save money because I do not waste energy unnecessarily,” says Mindaugas Rutkauskas, Commercial Manager at Baltic Refrigeration Group.
Smart homes will proliferate
According to the calculations of the company “Eika”, using a smart home system, the operating costs of housing can be reduced by an average of 10 to 30 percent. This means that a resident of a newly built three-room, 65 sq. m. apartment, paying 0.6 euros per sq. m. per month for electricity and 0.4 euros per sq. m. for heating, can save an average of 67 to 202 euros annually. Without considering comfort and security, the smart home system can pay for itself in as little as 2 years.
Real estate developers are actively interested in smart home systems and are starting to install them in newly built apartment buildings. It is planned that the number of apartments with smart home systems will increase, since from 2016. it will be allowed to design and build only energy class A apartment buildings, in which the number of engineering systems is increasing, so it becomes difficult to manage them all properly and effectively manually. According to R.Pečiulaitė, this currently unseen innovation may become the standard for new construction houses in a good decade.
About the Eika group of companies
Founded in 1992, the company “EIKA” is one of the largest real estate development and construction groups in Lithuania, successfully developing residential, commercial, public and other purpose building projects, creating a new quality of life and work. The company has already built more than 3,000 apartments and 270 thousand square meters of buildings. “Eika” has been awarded many times as the best real estate developer in Lithuania, and the company’s projects “Santariškių namai” and “EIKOs namai Pilaitė” have also become the best in Lithuania.
More information:
Rasa Pečiulaitė
Project Manager
Phone: +370 5 2045 811
Fax: +370 5 2514 256
Email. [email protected]