Smart phones — they can control smart houses
‘‘It’s all done by software,’’ Ata Touch technical sales manager Nish Mambatta said. So if you’re bringing a date home, you can switch on some romantic mood lighting from your phone on your way back. And if you’re on holiday, you can set your hot water
The days of wondering whether you left the heater on are gone.
You can check an app and, if you did, switch it off with your smart phone.
Ata Touch New Zealand uses energy-efficient technology to create smart homes to match smart phones.
Its technology means lighting, heating and hot water can all be controlled from a phone app.
The company is one of 450 exhibitors at this year’s Waikato Home & Garden Show, which began on Wednesday.
About 30,000 people are expected to visit the show over the weekend, according to marketing manager Hayley White.
On Friday, Claudelands Arena was bustling with thousands of punters browsing options to improve their homes.
About 62 per cent of New Zealanders’ energy consumption is heating either air or water, according to Ata Touch, a Hamilton-based company looking to expand to Australia and the UK.
By integrating the systems, it becomes cheaper and smarter.
After all, we use smart phones for everything else – banking, shopping, socialising – Mambatta said.
Although, it doesn’t have to be controlled by phone. People can also use a controller in their home to set their energy preferences.
‘‘But it’s the option,’’ Mambatta said. ‘‘The real surprising thing is our biggest user base is the over 60s.
‘‘You wouldn’t think so, because it’s smart technology and that sort of thing. But they’ve really taken to it. You can make it as simple as you want to.
‘‘It’s pretty brilliant.’’
‘‘The real surprising thing is our biggest user base is the over 60s’’.
Ata Touch technical sales manager Nish Mambatta