Your Home: March 2006 Winner David Roenigk!

David Roenigk is a retired electrician who swears by well-thought-out hardwiring. He's also interested in receiving emails from folks who might be interested in forming a Savoy control system support group (contact David at Firefite@aol.com). Here's David's electronic home story...in his own words.

We lived in Westlake in an old house (circa 1916) collecting antiques and remodeling. When I retired from the fire department, we decided to change our lifestyle. We hired a local architect who would work with us and allow me to do the electrical drawings. I researched products for over a year, talking to distributors and going to the automation shows. If I wasn't sure what was needed (because I could go with more than one product). I installed "Smurf" tubing in the walls. This process took about 13 months.

I hired all the contractors to build the home on a waterfront lot in March 2000. The house was weathered in by August 2000 and I began wiring the house. It normally takes me 10 days to wire a 2500-square-foot house such as mine, but due to all the extra wiring I decided to do, it took me 31 days. I also installed back boxes on all the outside walls before installing regular outlets and switch boxes to prevent drafts (purchased from EFI of Natick, Maine). I also installed sheet plastic on the walls and ceilings and caulked all the outside wall 6" studs. The house is very tight! Tightness in the construction of a house is important for energy efficiency. Our house has five heat/cool zones which are controlled by a Trol A Temp model TZ-3 with which we can heat just the areas we use and maintain the perfect humidity throughout the house. I installed an Aprilaire heat recovery system which changes the air six times an hour and keeps the humidity just right.

I ran conduit to every switch box in the house so that if I needed to change the lighting control wiring I could. I also installed "Smurf" tubing to all security keypads in case those became obsolete. All speakers for the surround sound were also piped in, as were extra conduits for four more speakers for future 6.1 or 7.1 surround sound.

We have 5.1 at this point. I also installed two 1½" steel conduits from the basement to the attic for forgotten items. (I used those conduits the first year we lived here). One is for line voltage, the other is for low voltage wiring. I highly recommend that everyone remodeling or building a house do likewise. In addition, the use of Smurf tubing to the abovementioned places was invaluable because many of the items I installed in 2000 are already "so-old technology" that I'm considering replacing them with new technology. If there's anything I can't stress enough to people contemplating building a smart house, it is to install as much flexible tubing (Smurf) as possible to all automation equipment for existing and future automation control areas, along with conduits from basement to attic. These are invaluable. I feel that wireless is nice but hardwire equipment is best.

If there's anything I can't stress enough to people contemplating building a smart house is to install as much flexible tubing (smurf) as possible to all automation equipment for existing and future automation control areas, along with conduits from basement to attic.

Another thing I would recommend is to take photos inside every wall and ceiling before the insulation goes in. You'll refer to them over the years when you're looking for wires you installed but haven't used yet -- and for the location of pipes before you have to fish that wire you forgot to run. It happens!

My main control is a server-based Savoy System. I would like to get emails from others who have this system, to form a support group. Savoy no longer gives support. (There's that "old technology" issue again!). What I like about Savoy is that it talks to all of my systems, and programming is in plain "if/then/else" language: The Aprilaire five heat/cool zones, the Cutler Hammer Advanced Power system with power breakers, the Apex 6100 security with the 40 sensors that I have installed, the Lightolier Brilliance lighting system, 12 closed circuit cameras that keep an eye on the boats at the dock and all around the house, the Xantech music system, The Panasonic KTXD 1232 phone system, and all the X10 items that I use.

When someone enters the driveway by auto, the Sure Action 2 directional probes SU-P8000 announce through the inside speakers that an "auto is arriving." If someone comes in by bicycle or walks in, then the Optex LX-802 PIR sends a message to say "hello" to the inside and outside speakers. It greets the people and lets us know someone is here. The TV in any room we are in changes to the driveway closed circuit television and we can see who it is. If we aren't home, the courtyard gate -- which is controlled by the GTO Mighty Mule E-Z Gate opener -- is closed. On the wall next to the gate is a Holovision KE-260 Keyless entry system. If the visitor knows the code (for example the UPS person or mailman), they leave the mail or boxes in the courtyard. The visitor can push the door bell located on the keypad and the PBX system will call me on my cell phone and I can let them in or tell them when we'll be home. The camera in the keypad automatically captures a photo and saves it to the Panasonic AG-TL500 time lapse recorder. If we are home, we can answer the door via any phone in the house and let them in by pressing a number on the phone.

In the backyard and dock, we have the two Optex LX-802 PIRs and four Pro Video colored cameras (Model CVC-635CR). They work the same way the front cameras do, except the house announces that someone is in the backyard and snaps an image of them if we're not home.

Once inside, most controls are automatic via the programming I did once I installed the server and its components. Most switches are located in closets or in the basement. The only lighting switches in the rooms are for if we change our routine. Most lights are set on a time schedule or when there is movement in the room.

When we get up in the morning, the Sure Action Pulsor 4000 (pressure sensitive probe) which is epoxy under the floor next to each side of the bed, turns on the bathroom lights 50 percent. When we leave the bathroom, the passive infrared sensor (PIR) notices no movement for three minutes and turns them off. When we walk into the great room to get to the kitchen, the PIR sees motion and turns the kitchen lights on 50 percent. To give an example of how this works, the program on the server is set so that if the great room PIR sees motion between 7am and 7:45am, it turns on the kitchen light 50 percent for five minutes, unless the kitchen PIR sees movement.

Some scenes need more triggers. For example, after sunset and before sunrise, if the driveway PIR sees movement and the courtyard PIR sees movement, when the front door is opened the foyer light comes on. So you can see, in order to make a house truly automated you must live in it for some time.

The light switches in the rooms are mostly "scene" buttons. If we go to bed early, we touch one button that turns all of the lights off in the house but ramps up the bedroom lights over our bed and into the bathroom. All I haven't figured out yet is how to get a piece of chocolate to be on our pillows too!

I have in place most of the speakers and microphones to enable speech recognition. When that program is decided on I believe that I can control anything in the house with little programming. That is the next technology I'm waiting for.

The five thermostats of the Aprilaire 8870 are programmed by time and movement via the Savoy server. They also control the ceiling fans in the bedrooms, great room, and kitchen. If the temperature rises above 77 degrees, the fans turn on to circulate the air. The four Anderson power windows in the kitchen, the three in the Atrium and the two in the master bathroom are also controlled. If they are open, the furnace shuts off. If the temperature outside is between 68 and 75 they open; otherwise they remain closed unless overridden via a button. The automatic Somfy shades -- four in the kitchen, two in the atrium and two in the great room -- automatically close via Somfy Soliris controls when the sun is too bright. There is also an exhaust fan in the atrium which exhaust hot air when the temperature rises above 85. In the winter time the heat is exhausted into the basement.

The basement is where the magic happens. I can add or change the programming from any of the three networked computers in the house, but I usually work in the basement because it's quieter and I can keep an eye on any response from the equipment.

Our 2500-square-foot home is just the right size for our retirement. And the home technology we've installed makes it a pleasure to live in.

Smurf tubing is actually called ENT, or "electrical non-metallic tubing." It is called Smurf tubing because of its light-blue color similar to the Smurf toys.

THE KEY EQUIPMENT

BASEMENT:

Equipment Rack

• Phone jacks for all the phones and data lines.
• Panasonic AG TL500 time lapse recorder.
• Splitters for the incoming cameras and TV signals.
• D-Link DI-714P+ Wireless Router.
• Channel Plus 5545 Modulator and Netmedia Triple play modulator.
• Gyyr Quad DQ88C camera switcher for the inside cameras.
• ChromaQuad Model 1576 switcher for the outside cameras.
• APC back-up UPS and Savoy server by Merto West.
• Leviton 6ft. outlet strip mounted on the left side for the transformers needed for all the parts.

Along the basement wall

• Stealth Labs power supply for 16 CCTV cameras.
• Apex 6100 security panel.
• Cabinet for the two Apex zone expansion cards: XP-HWB416 and the Sure Action SU-P8000.
• Panasonic 1232 phone system.
• Aprilaire HVAC Mainboard 8818.
• Lightolior BrillianceII Lighting boards.
• GE 200amp panel for the lighting.
• Cutler Hammer main panel with the Power Manager.
• Attached to the main panel is the Square D Surgebreaker which protects the cable and outside antenna that comes into the house and phone lines for surge protection.
• Sensaphone 1100 unit used as a back-up call-out system in case one of the systems fail.
• 15 KW back-up generator, Generac GTS 105.

MUSIC CONTROL:

The music is controlled by Xantech Smartpads in every room and the Phillips Pronto Pro touch pad in the great room. The control equipment is located in the A/V room in the master bedroom (which is centrally located in the house).

• Xantech PA1235 12-channel amplifier.
• Carver AV-806X 6-channel amplifier.
• Carver PreAmp/Tunner, CT-28v.
• Kenwood 200-CD player, CD-425M.
• RCA Accusearch VCR.
• Pioneer multi-mhannel receiver VSX-D511.
• Toshiba digital media server, SD-H400.
• Phillips DVDR 985 DVD Recorder.
• Xantech 6-zone 8-source preamp ZPR68.
• Phillips pronto IR extender.
• X10 Powerhouse 4040 IR command console.
• Xantech 789-44 IR emitter block.
• Four duel head emitters Xantech 286M.

KITCHEN:

• Apex keypad XP-RK-36.
• One Xantech SmartPad.
• Two 6½" speakers.
• 15" GE TV, ceiling mounted.
• Four Anderson electric window controls.
• One Ademco Aurora passive infrared motion detector.
• Four Somfy electric shades, LT50 & IGC/3n1 controller.
• Electric Floor heat by Warmly Yours heating system 140-square-feet.

WIRING:

The wiring consists of 1100 feet of Comscope Ultra Home Optical Cable 2/62 5-125. Optical cable which consists of two fiber optic, two RG-6 Quad Coax and two Cat 5. This cable feeds each room of the house plus two to the home theater, master bedroom and kitchen.

• 900 feet of Duel RG-6 Quad shield cable for some of the cctv camera locations and two sets to the attic for antennas.
• 1000 feet of single RG-6 Quad shield to inside cameras and future camera locations.
• 3400 ft Cat5 to lighting keypad locations, security keypads, PIRs, all camera locations, door bells and intercoms, all music keypads.
• 1750 feet 18/2 for 44 door and window security contacts.
• 550 feet 14/4 monster cable to all music keypads from A/V room.
• 125 ft. monster 14/2 to 16 JBL speakers. 250 feet 16/6 to four Sepco alarm speakers.