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Because there really is nothing worse than when you fall asleep you have to get up to turn off the light or change the position in which you "just" tucked in to turn off the lamp on the bedside table. All you have to do is tell Alexa: "Alexa, turn off the lights" and keep sleeping. You will need one small device for voice commands:

It turned out that we usually enter the wardrobes with our hands full (ironing clothes), so the automatic switching on, that is. sensor-regulated shutdown categorized by our clients as “highly desirable”.

3. Stair lighting sensors

No matter if you live in a building or a house, every staircase, for safety reasons, should be adequately lit. Sometimes we don't need high-intensity lighting, but small LED lights at the level of our feet will suffice.

High-intensity lighting above the kitchen elements is necessary only while cooking. In other cases, low-intensity lighting connected to the motion sensors is enough to do all the shorter work - to turn on the dishwasher, drink water, make coffee ...

5. Living room lighting sensors

There are lighting sensors that turn on only when the amount of daylight drops below a certain minimum. This type of automated lighting is best shown in meeting rooms, living rooms and large hallways that have an influx of daylight.

Since we can create a “tenant presence presence” scenario, we can also create a “all tenant exit” scenario. That way, the last member of the family to leave the living space will activate this scenario (or it will be set with a timer to activate at a certain time) and turn off all the lights.

7. Notification of movements detected by sensors

If you know that there are no people in your business or residential space at a certain time, it is possible to install motion sensors for these periods, which will inform you via the Magiesta application about their activation. This can be an ideal "silent alarm system", since even a burglar will not know that his presence has been noticed.

8. Reducing the intensity of heating when there is no presence of tenants

9. Turn on space heating before the tenants arrive

Instead of our heating working all day (and the tenants are not present), we can set up a scenario that will prepare our apartment for the arrival of the tenants. For example, blinds can be raised during the day to allow solar energy to heat the apartment, and in the evening, before the tenants arrive, the blinds can be lowered, turn on minimal lighting and turn on space heating. Both environmentally friendly and good for the consumer's pocket.

10. Special scenario for "cinema"

Families have a habit of watching TV together in the evening. Then the creation of the "cinema" script comes in handy. Light dimming and sound system reinforcement. The only thing missing are the popcorn.

If you have a bathroom without a window (a way for natural ventilation), a ventilation system will be very necessary. Here, sensors come to the rescue, which will automatically turn off the ventilation when the humidity drops below a certain minimum.

12. Watering system for the garden around the house

The watering system can also be automated. We will need this system because it will save time on a daily basis, but also "work" even when you are resting on a beach hundreds of kilometers away.

Sensors that work "together" with the cooling system (air conditioning system) can activate the system when the air temperature exceeds the maximum set temperature.

14. Activation of the cooling system (air conditioning system) before the arrival of the tenants

Instead of the air conditioner working all day (until you come home from work), it is possible to turn on the air conditioning just when you go home. this is achieved with the help of a smart socket that can be controlled via an application from your mobile phone.

15. Activation of smart sockets before the arrival of the tenant

Smart sockets can be assigned to appliances for which the power consumption is high. Sockets can be installed when installing boilers, air conditioners, ovens, but also when renovating an apartment when already installed appliances are connected to smart sockets. The function that brings the most advantages is the option of "activating" the socket before the tenant returns to the apartment, ie. the option of “deactivating” the outlet when tenants leave the apartment.

Electricity consumption can vary from month to month and sometimes this is completely normal. For example, much lower electricity consumption occurs more often during the summer, when tenants are much more out of the apartment, and higher electricity consumption always occurs during the New Year and Christmas holidays - when all tenants are at home for most of the day. Through the Magiesta application, it is possible to monitor and compare all these changes, and even predict consumption in relation to the same month of the previous year.

17. Ideas for saving electricity if you work from home

Since we worked from home in a higher percentage during the epidemic period, we noticed many scenarios created for the ideal atmosphere of working from home. The elements of this scenario were mainly: a certain maximum and minimum air temperature, muffled and fine music, raised blinds ... The energy portal wrote on its blog about saving electricity for those who work and/or learn from home. Among the useful tips, we liked the idea of deactivating the screen saver the most, as well as for instructions on how and why to use "sleep mode" on your computer.

There is no need to get out of the car to open and close the back door, nor to keep those small remote controls for garages that, we know, always get lost somewhere when you don't need to ...

19. Air heat control sensors

These sensors are created, above all, to save when it comes to electricity consumption. If your heating or cooling system (air conditioning system) is active, when opening a balcony door or window with a built-in magnet, all systems for maintaining a certain temperature will turn off automatically.

If you are not in the apartment, you can lower the blinds via the application and thus block the heating of the space due to the increased solar energy. This is one of the most useful systems for the summer season, as it is crucial for savings when it comes to electricity consumption (which will be used to cool an apartment that has been "heated" all day).

If you do not have built-in blinds, curtains can play a very similar role. Block the entry of sunlight with curtains during hot summer days and provide pleasant temperatures when you do not yet have an active air conditioning (cooling) system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"How much does a smart home cost? How much would it cost to turn my apartment into a smart apartment? How much does smart lighting cost?"

 

 

These are all questions for our team of engineers. However, in this blog post, we will openly discuss the price of a "basic" package and explain what factors influence the cost of a smart home or smart apartment.

How is the price of installing smart subsystems (smart home) determined?

The cost of adapting a conventional living space into a "smart apartment" or "smart home" depends on:

1. The stage of integration (whether the apartment is under construction or being renovated)
2. The square footage of the space
3. The chosen subsystems of the Smart Home offered by Ion Solutions

It’s important to clarify the following: automating a residential property with a system that integrates selected subsystems is NOT the same as buying gadgets that perform one or more functions via a wi-fi network.

First and foremost, it's essential to explain this because the cost of automation and the cost of equipping an apartment with gadgets differ significantly in setup, integration, maintenance, warranty... Simply put, these two approaches have nothing in common except (let’s call it) the ultimate goal. And that is – to simplify everyday actions like turning on the lights, raising the blinds, opening the gate, turning off appliances remotely, setting a specific scenario (e.g., turning off all subsystems when you go to bed).

Automation Goals

The primary goal of automating residential spaces is the efficient use of resources such as water and electricity. We've already written about reduced energy consumption after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The best indicator of reduced electricity usage after integrating a Smart Home system is your electricity bills. By tracking them, you'll be able to see exactly how much electricity you've saved on a monthly/quarterly/annual basis. This will give you the opportunity to see the benefits of your investment in your planned monthly household budget. A less visible advantage of such an investment is a step towards an eco-friendly lifestyle. This benefit is the most significant as it directly affects our quality of life in the future.

Investing in a Smart Home

Investing in a Smart Home system has never been out of reach for most residents. For example, the current price of integrating a "package" of subsystems that includes:

- Smart lighting
- Smart sockets
- Alexa intelligent assistant
- Smart blinds and a Smart lock for the front door,

if integrated into a 60-square-meter apartment during the adaptation phase before the first owners move in, costs approximately 1300 EUR.

The price is influenced by the number of windows and doors on which you want to install smart blinds, the number of smart sockets needed for your apartment, the type of lighting you desire, the type of lock you've chosen, and which best fits your style...

It's also important to note that the price of automation integration changes depending on market values and rising costs of materials and systems from our suppliers.

After integrating the Smart Home system, you will notice that you spend less time on daily activities because you no longer need to raise and lower blinds or turn off lights in every room your family members have been in. You won't even need to lock the doors. And when you go on a trip, all major energy consumers (such as the water heater) will be systemically turned off until you reactivate the water heater through the Magiesta smartphone app, so you'll have hot water when you return home.

Besides saving electricity, water, and time, there's another benefit:

The impact of integrating a Smart Home system on increasing property value

Recently, the number of apartments or houses with complete automation has been growing in the real estate market. At the same time, interest in this type of modern residential space is also rising. Residential space automation is currently viewed as "luxury" equipment. Consequently, the price of properties with integrated automation subsystems is increasing. This applies not only to new builds, where a smart apartment is just part of the entire smart building system, but also to renovated apartments being sold or rented.

Return on Investment Period for a Smart Apartment

The expected return on investment period for integrating smart home subsystems is certainly one of the most frequently asked questions.

The automation of large properties requires the integration of many more subsystems, multifunctional panels, sensors, and accompanying construction work for adaptation. The savings in natural resources, in this case, are much greater, so we can confidently say that the return on investment period is quite short.

On the other hand, if a small apartment is being automated during renovation, only one multifunctional panel, a few sensors, and a few smart sockets are typically needed. The costs aren't high, and the return on investment will be noticeable through your bills in a very short period."

What interests Smart Home users the most and what often influences their overall satisfaction with the automation project is – energy savings.

 

 

In recent years, through our work with both domestic and international clients on major automation projects for private homes, hotels, commercial buildings, hospitality establishments, and educational institutions, one of the things that interests our users the most and greatly impacts their satisfaction after a successfully completed automation project is – energy savings.

Although our prospective clients are often confused when they see how many automation system options affect energy savings, the results we discuss early on become apparent after just the first month.

Since we strive to ensure that our clients, both current and future, are fully informed about how the energy savings we advocate for truly work, we’ll dedicate some time to answering the most frequently asked questions:

Is energy savings really possible with a Smart Home?

Absolutely! We like to start by saying that a Smart Home is "smart" because it’s very easy to create a scenario that best fits the already established lifestyle of each household member and that adapts well to the responsibilities of employees in business centers or hospitality venues. The biggest advantage of automation is that once created, it significantly contributes to each process individually participating in energy savings.

We are truly proud of how we’ve managed to enhance our users' lifestyles, providing impressive comfort, safety, and security while maintaining the Smart Home’s reputation as synonymous with energy savings.

Energy savings have become a fully expected benefit because the entire space, covered by the automation system, ensures that most devices and systems operate only when necessary.

Whether we’re talking about light sensors, heating or cooling settings, maintaining the achieved temperature through blind and ventilation control... All these processes can now be automated, meaning they will no longer require much of our time or attention. Nevertheless, all these processes will result in visible energy savings.

How quickly can noticeable energy savings be seen?

It’s very reasonable that such questions arise frequently. In fact, we consider them to be very legitimate, and everyone who is hesitant about embarking on a project to automate their property should have such questions and, consequently, concrete answers with all the key information available.

In addition to striving to ensure that all our processes are clear to clients and that what we guarantee is as transparent as possible, we emphasize that the average energy savings for our clients so far has been around 30% compared to the energy consumption of a non-automated home. Initially, the Smart Home will "pay for itself," and later, it will likely become the reason for some significant savings.

How have existing clients realized that investing in a Smart Home pays off?

Most have been fortunate, as we like to say, to know someone who is our client. That’s the most honest recommendation – a friendly one. Realistically, we are all interested in saving energy.

Many future clients found us by visiting our website – they saw that the consultation is free and can be scheduled at their convenience. On the other hand, our showroom, which is truly popular, is always available to everyone. If all they need to invest is a little time, people often decide to let us give a brief presentation on how it all might look "when it’s finished."

It’s true that most people want to have some savings estimate before they seriously decide on an automation project, but for many, the high level of functionality, reduction in daily operational tasks (which certainly take time), and family or staff security can sometimes be the deciding factor.

Renting smart apartments is a net profit. The investment that is necessary for the Smart Home system will be paid off quickly if space is rented "for a day".

We cannot say that this "trend" has been present on our market recently because it has always been present. Residential and business premises have been rented out since ancient times. However, the current trend is valid for "competition" between landlords, who will offer a more luxurious, nicer, and larger apartment. Lately, the price has been affected by the degree of automation of the space that is being rented out. The higher the degree of automation, the higher the price.

The most sought-after apartments are those that can be operated by voice commands. Apartments that we manage using smartphones or multifunctional panels. Apartments that are in modern buildings, with modern, spacious elevators. Apartments with large terraces, large windows, and lots of light are especially in demand. The desirable interior is only a couple of basic pieces of furniture, but - the household machines must be of the most modern series and smart technologies.

Renting smart apartments with the Smart House system

Our research has shown that apartments with a built-in Smart House system are rented out very easily, very quickly and often tenants are interested in renting an apartment for a longer period. Namely, apartments that are automated are in great demand on the market due to energy efficiency and ease of managing living space.

Renting smart apartments is definitely a great success in the market. Automation ie. The Smart Home system can capture only some elements but also, automation can be complete. Increasingly, homeowners are opting for full automation, which means installing all subsystems that match the space. Simply put, the investment necessary to install all the subsystems pays off very quickly if space is rented. For a day, for a week, or a year - it doesn't matter. The market is really eager for smart apartments, and every time we try to do our best to make all the projects we work on unique.