Your house is about to get smarter

People's homes will be getting smarter in the future, according to Wu Song, a senior executiveof Johnson Controls, supplier of control systems to China International Import Expo venue. 

Smarter houses will be an inevitable trend in the 21st century, Wu said. Making buildings smart means installing intelligent management equipment such as smart lighting and ventilation to optimize energy consumption, reduce costs and improve sustainability.

Smart buildings can realize up to 50 percent in energy savings, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. It found that productivity increased by up to 26 percent in a smart environment that does things like sending traffic and weather reports to staff, and keeping workplaces comfortable.

The CIIE venue is smart in that it is using an energy-efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system to ensure energy savings and efficient operation.

According to Johnson Controls, the building controls system used at the CIIE is like a brain that can monitor the HVAC system, the water supply, drainage and electricity. By collecting and analyzing data, it can offer ways to improve energy efficiency.

Mainly due to the economic benefit, smart buildings have been gaining favor with the business sector. Wu said that, for the past 10 years, the company had been focusing on commercial buildings. 

But as living conditions improve, Wu said, people's homes will become a premium market for smart applications.  As a result, the company is to increase its investment in research and development aimed at making homes smarter.