Meet the Company Making SA Homes Smarter
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By 2026, 573.7 million households worldwide will have smart home devices[i], 19 million of which will be South African[ii]. To help make more South African homes smarter, sooner, CBI-electric: low voltage has recently launched its IoT (internet-of-things) home automation range, called the Astute Range.
Established in 1949 in South Africa, CBI-electric: low voltage is a designer, manufacturer and supplier of quality low voltage electrical distribution, protection, and control equipment, which can be found in many homes across South Africa. The new Astute Range enhances this offering with high-tech solutions to oversee and manage almost every aspect of one’s home, including monitoring, energy efficiency, voltage fluctuations, and the remote control and automation of appliances, amongst others.
Energy efficiency: Smart home devices help homeowners to monitor their energy usage so they can control consumption. Not only can users keep an eye on which items are consuming the most electricity but also turn them off when not in use and schedule when they are turned back on. For instance, users can control when geysers and other heavy energy using appliances switch on. They can also pre-determine which days their pool pump goes on and for how long. This functionality is crucial for saving electricity, which in turn helps users to save money.
Voltage fluctuations: Voltage instability before and after load shedding means that there is a potential for voltage fluctuations in the distribution network and therefore ultimately in your house. These fluctuations can be either higher or lower than the standard voltage supply of 230V AC. These high and/or low voltages can damage appliances and the best way to protect against this is to only allow voltage to an appliance once it has stabilised. With smart home automation devices, users can easily set a minimum and maximum ‘safe operating voltage range’ via an app. Hence, if the voltage is not stable, the smart device will police the voltage levels and only allow power to the load (appliance) when it is within a safe operating voltage range.
Remote control and automation of appliances: When it comes to controlling their appliances, users have the ability to switch them on and off remotely. This can be applied to lights, aircon and underfloor heating, for example. Automation enables users to set timers and schedules to activate and deactivate their devices at specific times and on certain days. Their lifestyle and safety requirements can help determine how best to set up these remote controls and automations for optimal use.
Smart homes are no longer a thing of the future, but a reality of the present, and soon they will be even smarter. Going forward, they will be more connected, meaning that they will be able to anticipate users’ needs, which, in turn equates to an effortless integration into your daily routine. These smart devices provide insight, control and automation all at the tip of your fingers. Start investing today in the smart homes of tomorrow.
For more information on the Astute Range visit www.cbi-lowvoltage.com/astute. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
