First Look: PassivEnergy smart home control system

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Posted on 9 Mar 2010 at 12:36

With energy prices skyrocketing, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce their energy bills, which are now topping £1,000 per year. At the 'Best of British' consumer electronics showcase in London, we got our hands on one of the systems that looks set to help you do just that.

PassivSystems is a UK company that’s been around for just two years, but its PassivEnergy kit looks promising. It’s based around a central controller – the PassivHub – which talks wirelessly to sensors and controls around your home to optimise energy consumption.

At the moment, the focus is on gas since most people have gas boilers that have inefficient controllers that can waste energy, but the system will be expanded to electrical devices later on. The PassivHub replaces your existing boiler controls and works with a wireless touchscreen controller to make it easy to adjust the temperature in your home and program when the heating comes on and goes off.

One of the reasons many people waste energy is because they leave their heating to come on and go off regardless of whether they’re in the house. With the PassivController, you can tap the screen to tell the system whether you’re in, out or asleep, and the system will override the default schedule. It will also learn your habits over time and adjust times to suit. Another factor is weather compensation. This is essentially an outdoor temperature sensor which allows the system to react quicker to temperature changes, rather than waiting until the internal thermostat registers the increase or decrease. It means your boiler can turn on later in the morning if it’s warm outside, or come on earlier if it’s colder.

Unlike certain competing products, it's all based on the ZigBee open wireless standard, which means you can add devices like controls and sensors from other companies later on. For example, you could install a switch by the front door which you can tap to tell the system you’re going out, and press it again when you return.

The PassivHub has an Ethernet port for connection to your router, which will enable you to control the system via the internet. According to Simon Lewis, Director of Product Strategy at PassivSystems, there are plans for an iPhone App. "What we're trying to do is make it easier for customers to optimise their energy consumption, not harder", he said. "We've also worked hard to ensure the system pays for itself in around two years. People don’t want to invest in a system where they only get a return 10 or 20 years down the road."

The system is due to go on sale in May, with the basic kit (the hub and wireless controller) costing around £300. Additional sensors – room thermometers, electricity monitors and remote controller power strips – will add to this, but give you more control over your energy use.

We’ll be reviewing the kit as soon as we can, and will bring you a full review of the system. In the meantime, you can find out more at PassivSystems’ website.

Author: Jim Martin