With home automation, the house becomes smart: locks that open doors at the touch of a finger, appliances that know what to do throughout the day, thermostats aligned with our working rhythms. Everything monitored, managed and controlled from your phone.
From the spread of new technologies and telecommunications, such as the internet and digital interfaces, experts have increasingly turned their attention to the development of a new science: home automation, whose name derives from the words "domus" (Latin for house) and "robotics".
This is a field that studies technologies applied to the domestic environment with the aim of addressing environmental concerns — in terms of energy saving — and of improving people's quality of life, making it more comfortable.
In traditional systems, domestic functions are managed through physical devices such as the light switch or the thermostat for heating. With the advent of home automation, and therefore of smart systems, all these functions can be managed through a remote system connected directly to one's smartphone, tablet or PC. This makes it possible to monitor the situation at home at any time, even from kilometres away.
The home of the future will be a 2.0 home because it will involve a high level of interaction between users and what lies within the walls of the house, guaranteeing control, security and energy saving. And it is precisely on this last point that home automation has built one of its key strengths.
Smart electrical systems aim for greater energy efficiency. How? By automatically regulating the start-up of appliances to prevent exceeding the maximum limit supported by the meter; by recording and reporting any anomalies in the system; and by alerting users to the presence of equipment left running when they are out of the house.
By simplifying the management of domestic systems and equipment, home automation reduces both the energy waste that weighs on environmental balance and utility bills. The smart home enables energy saving. It consists of systems designed to avoid any kind of domestic waste, to manage one's time more effectively and to have as little impact as possible. Home automation today is not as costly as it was in its early days: it does not require expensive installations, cables or lengthy set-up times. It is wi-fi connected, fully linked to dedicated networks. With remote management, it is possible to use the oven, the washing machine or the induction hob during the hours when electricity is cheaper, and even to charge one's electric car, should one own one.
The Istituto Doxa Advice carried out qualitative research involving men and women of medium-high and high socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, within the Spazio Chorus of Gewiss at the Milan Trade Fair. According to the findings, Italians maintain a very strong relationship with their home — one that would be further strengthened by home automation, which allows them to stay constantly connected even when they are not present. Home automation therefore appears to be a well-received sector in Italy, where, among other things, the smartphone plays a very prominent role in everyday life.