Get smart

Smart houses are nothing new, of course. Last year Orange showcased its vision of how we will all be living in the near future. Orange at Home, developed with the universities of Surrey and Portsmouth, fast-forwarded to 2005 and featured many occupant-controlled technologies including heating, lighting and security systems.

Likewise, Smart Homes, a project led by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in partnership with Scottish Homes and Science & Technology Policy Research, investigated the application of home automation in social housing.

Many ECA members will have heard Professor Heinz Wolff's discourse on intelligent buildings, part of the association's centenary celebrations. Wolff's work at Brunel University is examining the role of technology in providing remote support for the aged and infirm in the absence of a carer.

But despite such breakthroughs, you are unlikely to see many of these features gracing the homes featured in your local estate agents. Perhaps consumers have had to wait until the cost of the technology falls to high street levels.

Well, wait no longer. Cardio's system is priced to bring quality of life to any home – a typical house or flat can have the technology incorporated for a few thousand pounds. So what's involved? Basically, Cardio gives the homeowner fingertip control of heating, security and lighting as well as any extras they may want, such as the ability to remotely control blinds or curtains, water the garden, even turn the kettle on. "The only limit is your imagination," says Cardio's Jeanette Jones. "Our main aim is to simplify home automation and to take it into any home."

A photographer with exhibitions and books to her name, Jones came across the Cardio system while on holiday in Spain. On her return to the UK, she was surprised to find that Cardio was unavailable in this country. She is now the exclusive UK distributor and is seeking partners and installers to become agents.

That is not to say that the system is untried and untested. Cardio is manufactured by Secant, a Canadian home automation specialist founded in 1989. Secant launched Cardio to the Canadian market in the summer of 1995 and a totally new version offering extended controls was unveiled a year later. Cardio is available in the States under the name of Smartsystems and most European countries have distributor arrangements.

As well as installing the system in her flat in London's Docklands, Jones has already had commercial success with Cardio in a number of projects. The flats, all in London, may suggest that the product will only appeal to the rich and gadget-hungry, but the price of the product should appeal to a wide audience and Galliford Homes is looking at including the system in some of its schemes.

At the heart of Cardio lies a central processor unit, linked via a simple Category 5 unshielded twisted pair cabling bus to heating system controllers, lighting dimmer packs, security alarms, curtains, blinds and electrical sockets for on/off control of appliances such as kettles, ovens and toasters (figure 1).

A wall-mounted touch screen panel (see photo) or a hand-held infrared controller provide the interface to the central processor unit and allow the occupant to adjust heating set points, lighting levels, draw the curtains and so on. But the ultimate selling point has to be the ability to exercise that same level of control via a telephone line or mobile – on your way home you can raise heating set points, close the curtains, set the lights and even put the kettle on.

Jones sees enhanced security as one of the key features of Cardio. "If you are not returning home, call the house to turn off the heating and put a light on for security," says Jones. "Also, if you are on holiday and on the other side of the world, set Cardio to manage your lighting and curtains randomly to give the appearance of your being home."

Cardio will automatically dial four preset numbers in the event of an alarm, something particularly useful in portered accommodation. Alarms can also be activated and deactivated by a digital reader key.

Such systems offer contractors the chance to add value to their business. Cardio is easy to install, simple and quick to program and does away with the problems usually associated with the integration of auxiliary subsystems. It is effectively an out-of-the-box solution, priced and positioned for the mass market.

Jones is now targeting electrical wholesalers to take the product to the next stage but is also looking for installers to become agents. Full training is on offer, so what are you waiting for?