Powering progress S smart homes and buildings

The field of domotics and building automation is not really new, and the concept of smart homes and buildings has been a recurring theme in the media for some time. However, while it cannot be considered a complete failure, it certainly has not fully delivered on its promises. Skepticism around the concept is not rare and has even tarnished it with a " rich geek toys " stereotype. But this is changing. The growing importance of sustainability means home and building automation is maturing. Two important areas of action are shaping its future: ` ` The focus on an intelligent and transparent user experience, following in the footsteps of ambient intelligence (AmI). ` ` The importance of energy efficiency, mainly in terms of integration with smart-meter/smart-grid technologies. The combination of these two areas will drive domotics in the near term, helping move it from «DIY» toward a more systemic view, in which smart homes and buildings form the base of bigger order entities, like smart cities.