In a context where the energy transition is more than urgent, combining digital and solar seems particularly judicious. We even talk about solar home automation. But what is it exactly? Let’s see it together.
Home automation
The integration of digital, and more particularly of the New Technologies of Information and Communication (NTIC), within the housing saw the appearance of the home automation. It represents all the intelligent electrical systems – the smart grids – which allow to control and automate, locally or remotely, some electrical equipment. It is thus possible to improve the comfort of the home, but also to optimize its energy consumption.
This technology is also based on sensors that allow it to control certain consumption items (the heating system, lighting, ventilation, air conditioning, household appliances or monitoring systems), but also to re-inject the electricity not consumed into the public distribution network. In this way, it is possible to improve the energy consumption of the connected home by regulating it.
Solar energy
Solar energy is one of the most environmentally friendly energies, as it comes from sustainable sources, and is produced by means of photovoltaic solar panels.
And the great advantage of this solar electricity is that it can be produced directly by the individual. Indeed, the price of a solar panel is quite affordable, especially thanks to government subsidies, and can be more or less quickly profitable depending on the performance of the device. Moreover, a house equipped with solar panels allows self-consumption, that is to say the fact of consuming the electricity produced thanks to a solar installation.
It can have several forms :
- the total self-consumption which consists in consuming the totality of the solar energy produced by the photovoltaic panels to feed the electric system of the house. This consumption of electricity is more interesting economically, because the regulated rate of sale (TRV) does not cease increasing each year.
- Self-consumption with sale of surplus which is the fact of consuming only a part of the electricity production and selling the other part not consumed to the network, made possible thanks to the EDF Solar Purchase Obligation (EDF OAS).
The efficiency of the panels depends on their size, their power, but also on the geographical location of the house.
Solar home automation
Solar home automation allows the integration of renewable energies into the electrical network of the smart home. Being more reactive, it anticipates the variations in production of sustainable sources and facilitates the insertion of green energy in intermittence. It is therefore entirely possible to integrate solar electricity into the operation of the house if it is equipped with solar photovoltaic panels.
It is therefore a good way to improve the energy efficiency of the house, but also to save energy. It is also possible to make more energy savings by optimizing self-consumption thanks to the monitoring of production through connected objects.
Indeed, this digital solution, which is the home automation, allows to activate the household appliances at the moment when the photovoltaic solar panels are the most efficient. In this way, it allows to improve the energy performance of the house.
A solar home automation system can be composed of a control box, smart plugs, current clamps or a connected thermostat. And it can be associated with the Linky smart meter.
