From the category archives:

home automation

Wireless Light Switches + Floor Outlets = Tighter & More Insulated Home

October 15, 2010

Earlier this week we posted on cutting labor costs associated with Cellulose insulation installs. It occured to me in some of the comments that we have never posted on our “magical” electrical strategy to help improve the insulation and air tightness of our homes. The truth of the matter is that we actually don’t use [...]

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Energy Monitoring and Control – Web Application Concept

December 30, 2008

The conversation on my original post on energy monitoring and controls has been fantastic. Great ideas have been presented and examples that approximate my wishful thinking have been shared. Thank you to all of you who added your input. After looking through all the links and concepts shared in the comments of the last post, [...]

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Wishful Thinking – Energy Monitoring and Controls

December 19, 2008

I wish there were an easier way from idea to product. Of course, if there were I would have a house full of cool but unnecessary gadgetry (bacon toaster, geothermal beer dispenser, rocket recliner). I suppose the work involved in bringing an idea to fruition forces you to question the viability and necessity of the [...]

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Sonos – Affordable Whole House Audio System

November 29, 2008

I am a bit of an audiophile, so when we started thinking about developing our own homes, integrated A/V equipment naturally popped into my head as something to offer in our homes. The problem is that when your company’s first project is focusing on affordable and green homes, higher-end options like whole-house audio tend to [...]

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Simple Home Energy Monitors Help Reduce Electricity Usage

August 14, 2008

A couple weeks ago I tweeted about The Energy Detective or TED that monitors whole house energy usage. This led me to do a bit more research on what else is out there that is similar to this device.  Below is what I found on a couple of inexpensive devices available to monitor energy or [...]

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