S White paper smart homes and buildings Your business technologists. Powering progress Smart Homes and Buildings The field of domotics and building automation is not really new, and the concept of smart homes and buildings has been a recurring theme in the media for some time. However, while it cannot be considered a complete failure, it certainly has not fully delivered on its promises. Skepticism around the concept is not rare and has even tarnished it with a “rich geek toys” stereotype. But this is changing. The growing importance of sustainability means home and building automation is maturing. Two important areas of action are shaping its future: `` The focus on an intelligent and transparent user experience, following in the footsteps of ambient intelligence (AmI). `` The importance of energy efficiency, mainly in terms of integration with smartmeter/smart-grid technologies. The combination of these two areas will drive domotics in the near term, helping move it from «DIY» toward a more systemic view, in which smart homes and buildings form the base of bigger order entities, like smart cities. About the Authors Edited by Celestino Güemes, Solutions R&D Manager and member of the Atos’ Scientific Community, Atos Worldgrid, Spain (celestino. guemes@atos.net). Also based on contributions from: Lidia Hernández Álvarez, Head of Innovation at Atos Engineering and member of the Atos’ Scientific Community, Spain (lidia.hernandez@atos.net) Jorge Gonzalez Hernando, Business Development at Atos Worldgrid and member of the Atos’ Scientific Community, Spain (jorge.gonzalez@atos.net) Jordi Safont, Consulting Manager at Atos and member of the Atos’ Scientific Community, Spain (jordi.safont@atos.net) Pascal Pediroda, Innovation Manager at Atos and member of the Atos’ Scientific Community, France (pascal.pediroda@atos.net) Contributions were also made from: Benoît Alquier, Business Solution Manager Downstream Energy Management at Atos Worldgrid, France (benoit.alquier@atos.net) Jorge Pereira, Atos Research & Innovation Manager at Atos, Spain (jorge.pereirac@atos.net) 2 Contents The Basics of Smart Homes and Buildings An explanation of domotic systems and the technologies and devices required for a typical domotic installation. A differentiation between domotics and inmotics is also given, along with the technical, and social and economic drivers behind the smart homes and buildings concept. Ambient Intelligence (AmI): ContextAware Computing applied to Buildings AmI offers a new way of interacting with physical world environments that are aware of people’s needs and preferences, this chapter shows how it can enhance quality of life in the home, although it also raises a number of challenges. The Energy Perspective: Smart Buildings as Essential Blocks for the Smart Grid How the need for increased energy efficiency is driving home automation forward, including a look at smart meters, energy consumption in smart buildings, and the integration of generation sources in buildings. Atos’ Experience in Domotics and Smart Buildings A consideration of the work in this field being carried out by various Atos businesses. Atos’ Views Atos believes that the end-user experience will determine the future of domotics, with energy efficiency remaining an important driver, alongside a need for smart homes and buildings to be distributed and cloud-oriented systems. Smart Homes and Buildings The Basics of Smart Homes and Buildings Definition of Domotics (Home Automation) Domotics (also known as home automation) means the automation of diverse home activities in order to increase convenience, comfort, energy efficiency, and/or security. For this, a series of networked services are linked to different elements within the home, such as lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), domestic appliances, entertainment devices, and other systems. A home automation system closely monitors and controls these systems, supervised by an end user using several input mechanisms (control panels, computer software, mobile applications, etc.). The Technological Basics of Domotics As the following figure shows a typical domotic installation looks like a generic sensor/actuator network in that it is composed of different devices and networks (data, multimedia, and device control networks). Internet Data Network `` Comfort: Temperature and humidity by controlling the HVAC systems. Phone `` Illumination: Control of lighting devices. Gateway Typical functionalities of domotics systems include: Multimedia Network `` Audio and video distribution around the house. `` Security: Perimeter, motion sensors, fire and gas detectors, personal security, webcams, connection to third-party security company, etc. `` Inter-communication services. Control Network Other `` Control of domestic appliances (white and brown goods) via remote control of intelligent devices, like washing machines, fridges, kitchen, etc. `` Energy efficiency: Optimization of energy consumption by switching off devices when not needed or even more complex strategies. The end points are different kinds of devices: `` Sensors for light, temperature, presence, electric meters, etc. `` Actuators: Light switches and dimmers, drape controls, alarms, engines, etc. `` “Intelligent” domestic appliances. `` Multimedia entertainment devices. `` Other computer devices: PCs, tablets, smartphones, etc. These devices can be interconnected using different transports and protocols, either wired or wireless. They can be summarized in three essential networks: a data network, a multimedia network and a control network. Due to the increase in digitalization in media, these networks tend to converge to an IP-based data network. Smart Homes and Buildings 3 The following table shows the most significant standards used for domotics communication: ``USB ``Firewire Device connection technologies ``Bluetooth ``IrDA ``ZigBee ``PLC (power line communications) ``Konnex (KNX) --Batibus --EIB --EHS Control and automation networks The field of domotics is complex, with lots of different technologies and standards. ``LonWorks ``X10 (first on the market ) ``CEBus ``INSTEON ``Z-Wave ``ModBus ``Ethernet ``WiFi (including low power) ``Zigbee Data networks ``Low speed powerline ``HomePlug (high speed powerline) ``HomePNA (wires, coax) ``HomeRF (obsolete, replaced by Bluetooth) ``UPnP Interconnection architectures ``HAVi ``Jini ``OSGi In addition to end-point devices and the communication networks, there is one more essential element: the residential gateway (or home gateway), which connects the home with the outside world through a GSM (global system for mobile communication), PSTN (public switched telephone network), or ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) connection. The residential gateway runs different services; mainly collecting data from the home or controlling actuators and embedding a web server that can be remotely controlled either by itself (e.g. remotely switch off the light) or by someone else (e.g. when the support for a washing machine makes a remote diagnostic before a maintenance specialist comes to repair it). OSGi (open service gateway initiative) technology is most commonly used since services can be ‘hot plugged’ into the residential gateway, meaning that no human intervention is required in the home for maintenance. 4 For user interaction, there are usually two main methods deployed around the premises: `` Custom-made “panels” that are specialized and control specific devices in the domotic network. These can be simple (embedded switches) or more complex (LCD (liquid crystal display) panels with an advanced GUI (graphic user interface), running over embedded software). `` Software running on a computer that interacts with the home gateway or domotic controller. This has recently been complemented by the use of portable devices, like smartphones or tablets. Smart Homes and Buildings Domotics (home automation) and Inmotics (Smart Buildings): Related Concepts, Different Objectives The domotics term, as it is commonly understood, is mainly used to describe residential homes. For tertiary buildings (office buildings, industrial premises, hospitals, schools, etc.), some authors use the term “inmotics”, but the term “smart buildings” is now becoming much more popular to describe this field. “Smart homes” and “smart buildings” share some functional and technical commonalities, but they have quite different intents. As an analogy, it could be said that the difference is similar to that between cars and trucks. Both are vehicles and share some basic technological guidelines, but with different implementations in their final forms in order to provide the required capabilities for each. The main difference between smart homes and smart buildings is one of purpose: Domotics are generally oriented towards comfort and well-being, while smart buildings are centered, above all, on efficiency, both in terms of resource usage and economic costs. Due to the focus on the bottom line, smart buildings is a promising field currently seeing a lot of activity, as the potential financial returns are much more clear in the short term. The concept of building management systems (BMS) is maturing rapidly and many industrial players are getting into this field. In addition, as explained below, the social and economic focus on energy efficiency is one of the main drivers of smart buildings. This is not the case with the residential field of domotics; there has been no real success of any of the investments made up to the 2000s in this domain. The classic attitude of many firms was to offer a full home automation solution centered on its own original business (e.g. security, energy, or white goods). No firm offered a complete solution that answered market demand, and was a lack of standards for interoperability. Most projects failed due to the lack of freedom potential customers felt as they were forced to acquire all products from the same supplier, they suffered a bad user experience with low added value, and all at a great expense. Technical Drivers of Smart Homes and Buildings In technological terms, the field has developed along three axes since 1985: `` The evolution of PLCs (programmable logic controllers) with a continuous increase in capacity, offering advanced security and comfort functionalities. PLCs are only really affordable for high-end consumers, but can be useful in increasing the safety of people with reduced mobility, the aged, or the physically disabled. `` Assistance interfaces for energy management that offer the ability to directly manage consumption and load, and monitor the network. These are mainly used by settlement managers and technical services operators for water, gas, electricity, etc. `` Advances in communication, introducing teleservices (presence detection, anti-intrusion, eCare, telemedicine, etc.) and more recently Intertainment. The lessons learnt by the failure to really commercialize domotic technologies led to a new generation of solutions, which: Social and Economic Drivers behind Smart Homes and Buildings Several social and economic drivers are helping move the field of domotics forward. In the case of the home environment, some of the most important are: `` Higher demand for comfort and improved quality of life in the home environment. `` A new more ‘tech-savvy’ consumer who demands new ‘techy’ features in the home. `` As families spend more time out of home, there is more demand for the automation of basic functions. `` An aging population; more elderly people live alone and need assistance services, some of which can be automated or at least remotebased. `` Demands for increased security in the home. Security is a growing concern and people are looking for additional services to secure their possessions. `` Automation enhances the perceived value of a property, so it is possible to sell it at a higher price. `` Are interoperable through communication media (mainly wireless and powerline in Europe, and two-wire in the US), allowing all kinds of devices to be addressed via a real home area network (HAN). `` The renewed focus on energy efficiency requires a higher level of monitoring and control of the energy infrastructure (electricity, gas, heat, water, etc.) within the home. `` Use standardized protocols (mainly KNX and Echelon’s LonWorks), independent of the underlying transport media, to allow complex scenarios where a tablet can control all devices from different manufacturers, and a smart meter can request that a washing machine delay its start due to an energy peak and a priority setting by the user for the oven, for example. In addition to these global trends, needs vary in different countries. For example, in Greece and Italy, people concentrate on energy saving due to energy meter limitation, whereas Americans want to spend less time in the kitchen, which they can achieve thanks to intelligent ovens and microwaves. The French look for increased comfort and the German market is more focused on health services. `` Use decentralized intelligence related to the advances in the “Internet of Things”. `` Are «Future proof’, simple to install (Plug & Play) and use. `` Feature low-cost hardware. Combined, these trends can explain the expected growth for the global market of smart homes, which is expected to double by 2015, reaching US$11,000 million, according to the analyst Markets & Markets. `` Have a nice “look & feel” with well-designed, even “arty” interfaces. In Europe, most firms concerned with home automation failed to make their mark and became convinced that they could not succeed alone with a proprietary solution. Smart Homes and Buildings 5 Some of the drivers mentioned above also apply to the field of smart buildings, but the focus is more cost-oriented. Buildings have long lifecycles, at least several decades, and analysis of the complete cost of a building, from cradle to grave, shows that up to 75 percent of the cost is related to the building’s operational life. The focus is therefore on reducing operational costs, for which an integrated view of the building’s total infrastructure is needed, including energy, lighting, HVAC, lifts, communications, etc. Another reason automation in buildings is being pushed is related to the increased need for security, due to the potential risk of terrorism, for example. In the cases of both smart homes and smart buildings, one common driver is the demand for energy efficiency in today’s more urban world. Nowadays, more than 50 percent of people live in cities, and this percentage is growing rapidly. Cities cover less than one percent of the Earth’s surface, but they account more than 75 percent of total global energy consumption, generate 75 percent of greenhouse gases, and account for 60 percent of water usage. Residential homes and buildings, as the basic building blocks of cities, need to be integrated into the technological models of efficient energy usage, like smart grids. For this, they need to have some essential automation capabilities to enable this integration. Domotics as an Unfulfilled Dream The evolution and current status of the field of domotics feels like an unfulfilled dream: Domotic technology is a reality, but it seems the benefits are far less significant than the effort required and the cost of the specific devices for the end consumer. Utopian scenarios of intelligent premises that react to a user’s every wish (conscious or unconscious) appear periodically in the media. One typical and recurrent example is the “intelligent fridge» that knows its entire contents, can inform its owner about the status of perishable foods, and can even “shop” according to its owner’s habits when certain foods or beverages have been finished. The problem is reality is much more prosaic. The field of domotics is a complex one, with lots of different technologies and standards, many of which are proprietary by nature, and there is no easy integration pathway between them. Installation is not easy for the typical enduser consumer, and even in new homes and buildings, the presence of basic automation 6 capabilities can be rare, as they increase building construction costs. In addition, the concept of an integrated “home gateway” that covers all different networks (data, media, and automation) is not yet a reality. These issues have tarnished the image of domotics as “expensive toys for geeky/rich users”, and as a result many people think automation is not essential. However, Atos does not believe that these will be the main issues in the long term. The basic capabilities of control and automation are now a reality, even in this complex scenario, but they only offer a low level of control and automation, which is not really transparent for the user. While automaton provides more capabilities in the home, it also adds a layer of complexity over it. Interactivity is quite limited and inflexible in the sense that the user must consciously interact with devices in the home, using very basic interaction patterns. This imposes an important «cognitive effort» on the user that goes against one of the main aspects of what a home should be; a protective, comfortable environment. The evolution of domotics has not been as spectacular as it could have been to date. Another problem with domotics, as they currently stand, is that solutions are too “local” in the sense that a device (or several) installed on-premises controls the sensors and actuators in the home. It is not that these local devices are not technically needed (they usually are), but that capabilities of the system could be enhanced if a more distributed, “cloud-oriented” architecture were used. Remote control (typically available in all these systems) is not enough. In addition to technical limitations, there are business shortcomings too, as the existence of a “service ecosystem” that could provide enhanced domotic services is impaired. Obviously, distributed security and reliability are important, but difficult to address in the “domotic cloud services” concept, as homes are sensitive, personal environments where failure can, in worst cases, be life-threatening. It seems clear that control and automation are not enough. The final objective is “smart simplicity”, where complexity is hidden from the user, but all control capabilities are intact. Some authors call this concept ambient intelligence (AmI), encompassing technologies like contextaware computing, advanced user interfaces, or artificial intelligence (AI). All these, over a more distributed architecture, would enable “cloud-oriented” services to integrate different capabilities and business models on top of the basics of distributed, accessible domotics infrastructures. Smart Homes and Buildings Ambient Intelligence (AmI): Context-Aware Computing applied to Homes and Buildings The Concept of Ambient Intelligence The concept of ambient intelligence (AmI) is quite recent. According to the vision of AmI provided by the Information Society Technologies Advisory Group (ISTAG) to the European Commission, the entire environment - homes and offices, cars and cities - will collectively develop a pervasive network of intelligent devices that will cooperatively gather, process, and transport information. AmI therefore refers to a new paradigm in information technology, in which people are empowered through a digital environment that is aware of their presence and context, and is sensitive, adaptive, and responsive to their needs, habits, gestures, and emotions. Ultimately, it will lead to a new way of interacting with physical world environments that are aware of people’s needs and preferences, and are able to forecast behaviors in an unobtrusive way. In order to enhance quality of life in the home, integration between people, devices, and computation will soon become part of daily life. Different devices, such as sensors and actuators, as well as wireless networks, will blend into the future home environment. Some potential fields of application for AmI are: `` To help inhabitants live healthy, happy, and safe lives. `` To perform many tasks automatically. `` To integrate home, work, learning, and leisure activities. `` To remain hidden. Three concepts acquire paramount importance when talking about interaction in the home environment: ubiquity, transparency, and intelligence. In 1991, Mark Weiser, one of the fathers of ubiquitous computing, stated that, “such machines cannot truly make computing an integral, invisible part of the way people live their lives” (Weiser 1991). Weiser’s main aim was to seamlessly integrate computers into the world in such a way that computer systems could communicate in a more intuitive manner, directly with a context-aware environment. Smart Homes and Buildings The desired scenario is for technology to interact closely with people in a natural way to the point where such interaction becomes implicit. The technology should be aware not only of its own state but also the user’s intentions, tasks, and feelings, thereby extending the common understanding of context. A traditional definition for context could be, “the circumstances or situation in which a computing task takes place.” The main difference found when dealing with context-aware homes is that social interactions are far more unstructured than those that take place in an office or in any other formal environment. People take unstructured decisions at home that affect space, time, and activities in such a way that no process or pattern can be predefined. The ability to capture and understand this enriched context will help the home adapt to or customize the interaction with its occupants. AmI technologies will be able to devise patterns based on cumulated user data and take actions based on it. This is especially promising for remote care. Early diagnosis is a key element in the prevention and slowing down of the impact of illnesses related to an ageing population, but early symptoms may not be detected in a routine exam. By monitoring user behavior, even slight deviations from normal conduct that may otherwise pass unnoticed could be identified. A little longer than usual time taken to recognize the caller on the phone, just a few milliseconds, or changes in the pressure of steps and walking speed may raise a potential Alzheimer alert, for example. Applications like this, and the impact they could have for insurance companies and public health budgets are just a hint of the potential of AmIrelated technologies. `` Easy to learn `` Enjoyable `` Zero administration AmI realization relies on the application of several technologies that include artificial intelligence, ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing, embedded systems, and contextaware-computing technologies. It is necessary to collect information from both the user and the environment. AmI comprises more than just typical sensor interaction; it adapts to the user’s needs and behavior, merging two major trends: «ubiquitous computing» and «social-user interfaces». Although AmI can be applied to several fields, homes and buildings are obvious targets for first implementation. One fundamental shift of AmI, compared to earlier implementations of domotics based on the automation of routine tasks, is the importance of the user and how systems and interfaces adapt to the user. It is no longer simply about the operational layer, namely sensors, actuators and communications; the intelligence layer is just as important in the management of user interaction with the system and to enable decision making in complex environments. The number of desired services, including security, entertainment, energy-efficient appliances, temperature control and lighting, e-health, and remote controls, and variety of potential clients make adapting commercial solutions a challenge. Such adaptation must also take into account the system’s usefulness in the target environment. The line between a system that helps users with daily tasks and one that performs undesired automatic actions can be narrow. The extended context concept is not the only challenge to be faced for private environments; special care must be taken to make the environment desirable for the occupants. Home users have special requirements that have to be fully covered: `` Usability `` Social acceptance `` Privacy protection `` Low cost `` Human-centered 7 Challenges of Ambient Intelligence applied to Domotics The main fields of research are summarized in the picture below Components There is currently a lack of analysis of ambient intelligence in housing from the point of view of sense of community. The focus could be put on studying the possibilities of smart-house applications and technologies to support families and friends when they are together, and helping them interact with each other. System Intelligence Smart materials MEMS tech. & sensor tech. Embedded Systems Ubiquitous Communications I/O devive technology Adaptive software Media management & handling Natural interaction Computational intelligence Contextual awareness Emotional computing `` A major challenge for ambient-intelligence applications is to decide on whose preferences functions are based in a shared space when more than one person is present. Platform design `` Even when only one person is present, there has to be enough intelligence to capture intangible information e.g. to tell the resident’s mood based on facial expressions. Experience prototyping `` Traditional approaches to security do not seem to pose a major challenge; controlling physical access is something already covered by current alarm systems (surveillance, biometrical recognition, etc.). The health and wellbeing of residents, as well as the health of the building itself, are powerful and promising topics that are now subject to research. `` In the field of communication, different functions should be covered; intra-person communication between people in the home, communication to and from the home, access to the Internet and to other information systems. The road ahead here is mainly related to developing new interfaces at a reasonable cost (for example, approaching gaming technologies). Communication with the wider community and management of the virtual persona must also be covered, along with a link with social media, these are now the harder challenges. 8 User/Person As seen above, the creation of smart buildings using ambient intelligence is far from easy, in fact there are several technical challenges that are still under research: Ambient Software & Service Architectures, Design, Engineering an Integration Integration It is important to take into account that even with the beneficial impact that this approach brings, most of the main roadblocks are not related to technology, but to other concerns, such as confidentiality and trust. Ambient Intelligence technologies enable monitoring, surveillance, data searches and mining, and their deployment is likely to be of great concern to citizens. Addressing the balance between privacy and visibility, as well as providing robust security standards, will be a core challenge. Smart Homes and Buildings Going Beyond Pure Automation: Building Blocks for the New Domotics To evolve from the current “simple automation” status of domotics towards the idealistic scenario of ambient intelligence, what could be the required building blocks? The figure below shows a possible architecture. User Intelligence Context Cloud Enablement Advanced HCI External Cloud Services Monitor and automation Domotic Devices The architecture comprises the following blocks or layers: `` The lowest layer is the “monitoring and automation layer”, based on current technologies used in the home environment, but also adding some new integration capabilities between non-compatible protocols and standards, and external resources. End-user interaction with this layer should be minimal, limited to basic operations, as its main purpose is to feed upper-layer «intelligent filters» with a stream of data. `` Over this basic operational layer, there is another layer, a “context layer”, to analyze the meaning of data. This layer integrates information from the monitor and automation layer and the user(s), as well as nearby external context sensors, like local temperature or local traffic, so the system has a complete picture of the “context” for actions. Basic interaction can be automated even at this level, but with more “intelligent” reactions than pure “command and control”. The use of architectonical elements like a «Context Broker Platform» (as defined in one of the Building Blocks of Atos’ Scientific Community) gives an important boost to interaction transparency with the end user. Smart Homes and Buildings `` The next layer, the “intelligence layer”, is built over the context layer, and provides more “intelligent” abstractions of the environment, using artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Some examples of techniques that could be used are: Data mining, machine learning, different forms of knowledge representation, semantic data, ontologies, expert systems, multi-agent systems, etc. This layer adds the more advanced and “futuristic” capabilities to the interaction, but is also the more difficult to implement. In its extreme form, it can provide some form of «emotional computing» interaction with the user. `` For interaction with end users, a layer of “advanced human-computers interface” (HCI) is needed. Basic interactions using traditional means (interactive panels, computer screen, or mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets) will be around for a long time, but new, more “immersive” interfaces will help to lower the barrier of usage. These include voice recognition, real-time gesture-based video interfaces (like the one implemented in Microsoft Kinect), and direct-device interaction, using, for example, some form of wireless or NFC interface. `` These layers cannot be purely local, but need access to external “cloud-enabled” interfaces to allow interaction from “home to external systems”. Not just for external remote control, as is usually the case now, but to make mixed (cloud-local) solutions possible. In this way, even some parts of the rest of the layers could be implemented by external providers and interact securely with internal devices. Some experimental AmI projects have begun to address these higher layers of interaction, but in very constrained environments. A few have focused on AI capabilities, and, although the field of AI has seen some important advances recently, it is probably still too early for massive application in the domotic field. Perhaps a less ambitious view, implementing the concept of context-aware computing first, is a necessary intermediate step before a fully AI-based home is created. 9 The Energy Perspective: Smart Buildings as Essential Blocks for the SmartGrid As already mentioned, at its inception, home/ building automation was mainly that; a pure «automation» problem, mostly driven by «comfort» and «well-being» concerns. Lately, another important driver is pushing automation forward; the energy efficiency «mandate» that the GreenIT movement is based on. The growth of urban populations, the increasing demands of energy for homes and buildings both in developed and emerging economies, and the realities of environmental and economic sustainability demand an important change in the design and operation of homes and buildings. Beyond architectural advances (like those of LEED - leadership in energy and environmental design - certified buildings in the USA), monitoring, automation, and optimization of energy consumption in homes and buildings is one of the most important steps in reducing the energy footprint of an urban environment. In order to get there, two lines of work must be tightly aligned: smart homes/buildings and the smart-grid technologies that utility companies are beginning to deploy globally. Utility networks (mainly electricity, but also others like water, gas and heat) will, in the long term, provide fine control of their energy networks. But this control is not useful if the points of consumption, homes and buildings, do not «collaborate» in order to reduce consumption. Integration between network utilities and consumption endpoints is necessary to get maximum efficiency in terms of energy production and consumption. Today, buildings account for around 40 percent of total energy consumption worldwide. The idea of a zero-waste or zero-energy building has been around for many years, describing a building that experiences zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. That is finally becoming a reality based on the development of the smart grid, the rise of low-carbon generation technologies that use renewable sources, and the possibility of achieving energy-efficiency, quality, and demand control. 10 Smart Meters as an Additional Domotic Gateway The first step in the integration of smart homes/ buildings with the smart grid is the deployment of smart meter networks. Their role is critical; if something cannot be measured, it will prove difficult to manage, and ultimately improve. During the next decade, in a process that has already started in many developed countries, there will be a deployment of smart digital meters for electricity, water, and gas, not just in the construction of new buildings, but also replacing current analog meters. Smart meters constitute a critical building block in the development of the concept of smart buildings due to a number of features that will boost the amount, accuracy, and quality of information provided: `` Measurement of real-time energy. `` Measurement of a greater number of parameters that will allow energy quality to be controlled and monitored. `` Remote control of the meter’s tasks and functionalities, such as tariff changes, cutoff and reconnection, and several forms of demand-response. `` The possibility for the smart meter to communicate via different channels and technologies (GRPS (general packet radio service), PLC (power line communication), Wireless, RFID (radio frequency identification), etc.) to allow information to be sent and received automatically. Smart meters constitute a critical building block in the development of the concept of smart buildings. In addition, smart meters are incorporating technologies like PLC or ZigBee radio communication that enable the integration of the meter with «intelligent» home appliances, in order to facilitate, for example, demand-response capabilities in end-user devices, or switching-off (or limiting consumption) if an external signal is sent from the utility provider. In this way, some advanced smart meters already act like an additional domotic «home gateway» (referred to as «energy boxes» by some companies), centered on energy efficiency. For bigger buildings, a hierarchical network of meters (“sub-metering”) gives a finer view of energy consumption at different levels. Longer term, sub-metering could take place at device level, as some chip makers are beginning to incorporate «energy metering» capabilities at chip level. This would mean that every device could provide information and optimize its consumption according to external demand-response signals. `` Bi-directional measurement of energy supplied to and consumed from the network Timely and accurate energy consumption information will bring new possibilities in management of the demand side, balance of load, billing frameworks, and energy efficiency. Smart Homes and Buildings C PL Smartgrid Infraestructure ADR Demand-Response Signals ADR-enabled devices Smart Meter ConsumptionGeneration Info Sub-Meter The following figure shows a schematic of the demand-response management model in a domotic context ZigBee Distributed Generation & Storage Energy Consumption in Smart Buildings Energy efficiency is not just about reducing energy consumption and getting the same results, but about also avoiding wasting energy, when and where it can be avoided, as well as decreasing the cost of energy by consuming it when it is cheaper (at night, for example). Building automation systems allow for the monitoring and regulation of mechanical and electrical equipment, such as HVAC, as well as lighting and other environmental variables. Additionally, many automation systems have capabilities which allow many building functions, such as security and surveillance, firefighting and elevator operations, to be overseen. Thousands of sensors can monitor everything from motion and temperature to air quality, occupancy, humidity, and light intensity. Smartbuilding technologies provide more accurate monitoring and awareness in order to provide more control over the conditions inside a building, in a cost-effective and energy-efficient Smart Homes and Buildings manner, so that just enough heat, air, or light is delivered when and where it is needed. Traditionally, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems operate independently of each other, in such a way that each system relies on a single control or group of sensors that measures only one variable or has one specific purpose. The introduction of interoperability and the integration of all systems may further increase energy performance efficiency. Under a wider tariff framework, not only will consumers change their consumption habits, but also appliances and devices may develop technologies to charge and store energy at low price periods to be used when energy becomes more expensive. But putting aside the impact that automation connected to sensors and actuators may have on the energy efficiency of buildings, the new level of information provided by smart meters will allow energy to be priced in a much more accurate way, allowing energy suppliers an almost infinite granularity of tariffs in any consumption day. The possibility to price energy higher or lower during any given period of the day will allow for the reduction of expensive periods of peak consumption by responding directly to demand, known as demand-side management. 11 The Integration of Generation Sources in Buildings Going beyond the traditional model of energy consumption, the smart grid also implies the integration of a number of technologies that will completely change the way energy is managed in buildings. For instance, the concept of “distributed generation” will allow generation sources to be brought close to the point of consumption, ideally in the same building, thus reducing the amount of energy lost in transmitting electricity long distances through a complex system of transmission and distribution power lines. Intelligent grids will be able to provide a better response to the generalization of intermittent generation connected at medium- and low-voltage networks. This, together with the development of renewable generation technologies, will facilitate the installation of sources of supply in buildings to cater to their own energy requirements. Among the usual micro-generation technologies that may be installed today to supply a particular venue or group of buildings, small-scale wind turbines, micro-hydro or photovoltaic solar systems, plant microbial fuel cells, ground-source heat pumps, and micro combined heat and power (MicroCHP) installations may also be found. Even future electric vehicles could be considered as micro-generators, in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) scenarios. In this way, smart buildings can become a microgrid; a grouping of electricity generation, energy storage, and loads that normally operate via a connection to a traditional centralized grid (macrogrid). The building, as a microgrid, can be disconnected from the national distribution grid and function autonomously and self-sufficiently. Buildings may be connected to the network system, but it is now a two-way connection; they are as likely to be uploading power to the grid as downloading from it. Multiple dispersed generation sources and the ability to isolate the microgrid from a larger network would provide highly-reliable electric power. Microgrid buildings could provide resources to the distribution network, but remain safe from macrogrid management problems as they are easier to monitor and control. Smart grids will allow buildings to change their traditional role from just consumers of energy to also become producers. Smart grids will allow buildings to change their traditional role from just consumers of energy to also become producers. Electrical vehicles are a good example of another source of available energy, acting as storage facilities and when the car is not being used, spare energy can be given back to the network to cater to building consumption needs. 12 Smart Homes and Buildings Smart Buildings: A Decisive Enabler for Demand-Side Management Automation The total peak demand requirements of all consumers on a given network sets the future level of investment for utilities companies in peak production plants, which are used only a few hundred hours per year, because the complete network’s needs must be met at all times. The emergence of energy storage solutions will ease real-time network balancing, but they are not expected to be available on a large scale until the second half of the Century. Currently available renewable energies, with the notable exception of hydro, are not suitable for peak demand because of their structural uncertainty. This is why peak production units typically use fossil fuels (gas, coal, etc.), but they are more and more difficult to build due to environmental constraints and citizen concern, and increasingly costly to operate due to the price increase of fossil fuels and carbon taxes. This peak demand requirement also sets the level of investment needed for network reinforcement and/or renewal which again are increasingly difficult to achieve for the same environmental and citizen concern reasons. Over the last years, peak demand in most countries has increased faster than GDP (gross domestic product) although energy volume growth (consumption) stays in step with economic growth. In order to manage these issues, utilities companies and network managers have put demand-side management in place. Demandside management allows utilities companies to better master and forecast the load profile of all the consumers they serve in order to optimize centralized production-mix costs and avoid network congestion and breakdown. Demandside management is therefore an essential tool to help limit the amount of investment required in network and production plants to the economic optimum. on price signals was put in place 40 years ago (in France, with EJP (Effacement Jours de Pointe) tariffs) because it was the only option based on the available technologies, however the capabilities of smart buildings and smart homes open up new opportunities. Smart grid is about the improved management of the macrogrid (distribution and transportation networks). However, the real issue for utilities companies in today’s high-fossil-fuel cost environment is to re-master the demand side in a more proactive and efficient way than with traditional tariff and price signals. Building automation systems, when they are connected and responsive to the smartgrid infrastructure allow for much safer and predictable demand-side management, close to an automation loop. Smart buildings in this sense mean smart-grid-ready building management systems. These systems will allow external demand-response signals to transparently use the demand flexibilities of the building by simply changing in real time the setting points of devices that consume power and adapting the building’s local energy production capability. This is only possible and acceptable to building occupants if the smart building ‘knows’ when and how much it is able to modify its load profile without compromising occupant comfort, safety, and business life, while at the same time optimizing energy costs. These capabilities assume a high level of AmI to be built into building management systems. Energy efficiency in smart buildings is therefore not only the reduction of raw energy consumption or the optimization of energy consumption according to price signals, but also truly smart load management inside the building, making demand-side management automation a reality with the help of AmI. The traditional means of demand-side management involves time-of-use tariffs, where the price of energy changes with the hour of the day, reflecting usage of costly peak power plants or, more recently, real-time pricing tariffs, reflecting the energy spot pricing of the markets. The demand-side management method based Smart Homes and Buildings 13 Atos’ Experience in Domotics & Smart Buildings Several business units in Atos are actively participating in the field of smart homes and buildings, both in in terms of AmI and the energy efficiency. Atos, France: HomeCare: A research & development (R&D) project using classical presence-detection technology (infra-red) and Zigbee to detect abnormal situations for elderly people at home. Home Efficiency: Evolution of a home controller towards an OSGi and message-brokering architecture. Desima: Innovation project for an energy box and corresponding SaaS (software as a service) platform that has micro-cuts on devices, such as HVAC, boilers, etc. to help save energy consumption in the home and re-sell energy to the energy provider during peak periods. Atos Research & Innovation (ARI), Spain OutSmart: OutSmart (www.fi-ppp-outsmart.eu/ en-uk/Pages/default.aspx) aims to create the foundations for a future Internet (FI)-enabled innovation eco-system in the usage of utilities and the impact on the environment in the context of smart cities and urban areas. IREEN: The main aim of the IREEN Coordination Action is to develop a roadmap for ICT to support energy-efficient neighborhoods with a focus on the complete innovation lifecycle of the domain, i.e. at the crossing of research, technology, and development (RTD), experimentation, and actual deployment in the considered market. ICT4E2B: The ICT4E2B forum (www.ict4e2b.eu) builds on the roadmap and international community created within the framework of the REEB project (ict-reeb.eu/index.php) to generate consensus on key priorities across multiple stakeholders’ value and innovation chains with the intention of introducing ICT technologies and energy-efficient solutions in the built environment. 14 SCOVIS: SCOVIS (www.scovis.eu) will significantly improve the versatility and performance of current monitoring systems for security purposes and workflow control in critical infrastructures. ENCOURAGE (Embedded iNtelligent COntrols for bUildings with Renewable generAtion and storaGE): The ENCOURAGE project aims to develop embedded intelligence and integration technologies that will directly optimize energy usage in buildings, and enable active participation in the future smart-grid environment. eDIANA (www.artemis-ediana.eu): Addresses the need to achieve energy efficiency in buildings through innovative solutions based on embedded systems Atos Worldgrid, France and Spain Atos, through its subsidiary in the Energy & Utilities domain, Atos Worldgrid, has vast experience in providing smart solutions for end consumers and utilities companies. Atos Worldgrid, along with ERDF (Electricité Réseau Distribution France), is the provider and integrator of one of the leading projects in Europe for the installation and management of 33 million smart meters across France. Apart from solutions for smart grids, like AMI (advance metering infrastructure) and smart meters, Atos Worldgrid also offers solutions for the management of electric vehicle charging points and advanced demand-response solutions which will be based on the energy-box concept, just like those employed in the Desima and Home Efficiency projects mentioned above. Smart Homes and Buildings Atos’ View Domotics: A Troubled Infancy, a Future of Potential As shown above, the evolution of domotics has not been as spectacular as it could have been to date, particularly if compared to other technological trends, such as Internet services. Lots of competing, proprietary standards, combined with a high level of end-user complexity, have constrained usage to highlyaffluent people or determined enthusiasts. On the positive side, the technical, social, and economic drivers mentioned already in this document can encourage the wider deployment of domotics. This is clearly visible in the smartbuilding business, for example, and could propagate to the smart-home arena in the future. Beyond Automation: «Smart Simplicity» for Homes and Buildings. Although technical complexity in the field of domotics is an important handicap to its evolution, it will be the end-user experience that will determine if it is fully accepted and deployed. All the «nuts & bolts» in a domotic system must be transparent to the user, so the interaction with the environment follows a principle of «smart simplicity». The ideals established in the field of AmI show the way to go, but pragmatism is required; it will take time and effort to successfully apply AI in the smart-homes/smartbuilding industry. In the short term, a simpler approach based along the lines of context-aware computing could be a practical intermediate step towards fully ambient-intelligent buildings. Smart Homes and Buildings The Sustainability Imperative: Energy Efficiency and Smart Grid Integration The Future Living Environment: Smart Homes, Smart Buildings, Smart Cities. Energy efficiency will be the other important driver for future smart homes and buildings. The evolution of smart meters toward the concept of the «energy box», which will interact with other domotic infrastructures, will allow utilities companies to get additional levers to master the demand side of energy consumption. This is of paramount importance both for utilities companies, network managers, businesses, and citizens because it will help reduce the global human energy intensity (energy quantity needed to produce a given level of goods and services in the world) faster than “business as usual”. Longer term, models of distributed energy generation and storage at building level can enable more advanced smart-grid models, like microgrids, that could further enhance energy saving. In the long term, both the concepts of smart homes and smart buildings seen in this document need to apply a more open, extended vision that goes “beyond the walls”. One example of this vision is the integration of the concepts of smart homes and smart buildings in the smart cities vision that is beginning to take shape globally. The concept of the smart city includes different dimensions (social, economic, and environmental); the intelligent usage of ICT is just one. But it is an important one and it represents a pervasive computing model not too dissimilar to that which powers smart homes and buildings on a smaller scale. In the future, we can expect that the way physical homes and buildings “integrate” into a city to be the same way they interact at the ICT level. For this to happen, smart homes and buildings cannot be “closed, local” systems, but need to be more distributed and cloud-oriented. As a result, the combination of energy-efficiency features (consumption reduction, energy bill optimization, and demand-response capabilities) made available by smart buildings and homes will give energy consumers an unprecedented potential power to shape their relationship with utilities companies and network managers, as well as companies operating in the energy value chain. This opens up a large spectrum of opportunities for companies and citizens to reinvent the way users consume and pay for energy, and all associated services. 15 About Atos Atos is an international information technology services company with annual 2010 pro forma revenues of EUR 8.6 billion and 74,000 employees in 42 countries at the end of September 2011. Serving a global client base, it delivers hi-tech transactional services, consulting and technology services, systems integration and managed services. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, it works with clients across the following market sectors: Manufacturing, Retail, Services; Public, Health & Transport; Financial Services; Telecoms, Media & Technology; Energy & Utilities. Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. It is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting and Technology Services, Atos Worldline and Atos Worldgrid. atos.net Atos, the Atos logo, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldline, Atos Sphere, Atos Cloud and Atos Worldgrid are registered trademarks of Atos SA. December 2011 © 2011 Atos.