Lifestyle Improvement
Design for the way we liveArchive for Home Automation
Is it off now ?
Nothing scares people more in their home than the main electrical panel. At some point, it becomes necessary to reset a thrown circuit or turn off power to a portion of the house. If this task weren’t bad enough, most of these panels are located in the basement, utility room, garage, or other dark and dirty places we seldom go. In some cases these panels are in tough to reach places and we often times pile things in front of them to add insult to injury.
Every time I need to turn a circuit off, my oldest son stands at the top of the stairs in the basement and yells down to me when the lights come on or off based on the situation. Labeling is an obvious choice, but often these circuits are organized based on economy, rather than common sense.
When I work with an electrical engineer during the design process and electricians in the field, we work together to resolve these issues, marking things clearly and walking home owners through some basic steps to resolve most issues. Many of the fears we have can be minimized with a little education and our lifestyles can be restored as quickly as possible.
Please visit my website www.architechstyles.com.
Simon Says
Simon says was an electronic game I played with my sister when we were kids. As the lights went off, it was a test of memory to repeat the sequence of lighting order. Today we are required to remember so many combination codes: email, log ins, lockers, passwords, pin numbers, and a vast assault of other security questions. While these are unavoidable, many of the secret numbers we use can be avoided.
Many of the designs today incorporate open space plan design. One of the challenges is the bank of light switches that results from few walls. Often times 6, 8 or even 12 or more switches are banked together. This results in an experiment of learning what each does and where. With all we have to remember, this is a senseless activity. Now take into consideration guests and the experiment ensues again.
Lifestyle Improvement includes subtle instruction to avoid this game whenever possible. Placing labels on these switches eliminates the need for a heightened sense of skill required to perform a basic function. As our homes become more sophisticated, this should include multimedia, gaming, appliance operation, etc. All too often instructions are unclear or not provided at all and while we eventually learn the lighted pattern with practice, design should include better instruction.
Please visit my website www.architechstyles.com
