Since we previewed Somfy’s upcoming TaHomA home automation system in December, the company has releases more details, including scren shots of the interface users will access for system operation.
ToHomA is Motorized window treatment maker Somfy Systems’ solution to the “energy triangle,” systems, consisting of thermostats, lights and window coverings.
TaHomA (for Total Home Automation), allows homeowners to control and automate Z-Wave enabled window coverings, lighting, and thermostats. Somfy says the system will be accessible from a computer, iPad or iPhone, within or outside the home, and the web-based interface guides consumers with intuitive graphics and step-by-step prompts as they personalize their home energy functions.
“With the launch of TaHomA, we offer a unique and affordable tool that will help consumers achieve greater energy efficiency while enjoying the ease and luxury of home automation,” said Somfy North America CEO and President Michael Lee.
Somfy says users can efficiently manage their homes’ energy triangle by optimizing the interaction of natural and artificial lighting, heating and cooling according to their personal preferences. For example, window treatments like motorized shades can descend at certain times to block the sun and naturally cool a space—or ascend to warm a space with sunlight and preclude the need for artificial lighting.
Through the following short series of steps, consumers will quickly and easily begin enjoying the TaHomA technology:
• A certified Somfy TaHomA Expert dealer installs and tailors the operation of the TaHomA gateway controller and each Z-Wave and RTS wireless controlled device according to the consumer’s life at home and when away.
• When plugged into a home’s network router, TaHomA automatically connects and configures to the home network and Somfy’s remote support server allowing TaHomA to locate all of the Z-Wave and RTS wireless controlled devices.
• Scenes are created with a blend of various devices with personalized settings and pre-scheduled hours of automatic operation for each day of the week.
• Once the specifications and schedule have been determined for each of the Z-Wave and RTS wireless controlled devices in the house, TaHomA will automatically control these devices 24/7, 365 days a year.
Creating and scheduling “scenes” helps consumers simplify and optimize their home’s natural and artificial lighting, heating, and cooling needs. A scene might call for window shades drawn to 50 percent, lights in the kitchen to be automatically turned off, and the thermostat set to energy savings mode every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the house in unoccupied. Then, at 4 p.m., window shades will be closed, lights will automatically turn on to 75 percent, and the thermostat will be set to a comfortable temperature, as household members arrive and become active in the home.
The TaHomA controller operates with Z-Wave-enabled light switches and dimmers, thermostats, motion sensors and Somfy RTS controlled motorized window coverings such as blinds, shades and awnings. Z-Wave is a wireless ecosystem that uses low-power radio waves, with Radio Technology Somfy (RTS), the company’s proprietary wireless radio technology embedded in millions of motorized window coverings around the world.
The options for customization are vast, as consumers can choose to control individual devices, single rooms or regions, or the entire home, Somfy says.
TaHomA will be available for purchase in the first half of 2011. Systems will be affordably priced and can be purchased from Somfy TaHomA dealers throughout the United States.