Mile High system for injured Marine
Gonzalez’ new home was designed to address his unique physical challenges and to help him regain a measure of independence. Paralyzed from the upper chest down, the Dominican-born Marine has use of his arms but only limited use of his hands. His body can no longer regulate its own temperature and Gonzalez is in constant danger of infection, necessitating both a continual supply of fresh air plus a carefully controlled thermostat.
Coordinating with Rick Goyette, Daniel Lowitz, Sales Manager of Mile High Automation, ensured that the air in the house which is completely replaced every two hours, is kept at a prescribed temperature. Lowtiz designed a system for Visnu that will allow him to control the home’s security system, lighting and thermostat by means of a portable 8” touch screen that can be hand held or attached to his wheelchair.
From this screen Gonzalez can run the sprinklers, close his garage, turn on his porch light and open the front door to let in a visitor; the screen also allows him to access his email or surf the web. In addition, Mile High placed motion sensing lights throughout the house to allow for hands free operation, switching on when Gonzalez enters a room and darkening after he leaves.
Other adaptations in the house include custom cabinetry and lowered countertops with wheelchair access, allowing Gonzalez to prepare his own meals and work at a desk. In his bedroom a lift will carry him from his bed to a specially equipped bathroom. Even with the home’s state of the art technology, Gonzalez will require the assistance of his mother, Maria Baez, who will be moving in with him. It was his mother’s refusal to give up on her son that finally brought Visnu’s case to the attention of Homes for Our Troops.
Not only is the home adaptive, it is arguably “the greenest home in New Jersey” thanks to a generous grant from the Sierra Club, earning it the highest platinum-level LEED certification. The house is completely powered by solar roof panels (including a solar-powered elevator), uses geothermal heating and cooling from two deep wells in the backyard, collects rainwater from the roof to water a drought-resistant garden, and uses energy efficient LED lighting.
As with many other suppliers on this project, Mile High Automation donated labor to help install its custom home automation system. “MHA is proud to partner with Homes for Our Troops in this worthwhile cause and we wish Visnu all the best in his new home,” states Josh Ferguson, Mile High Automation president. “We’ll train Visnu how to operate the system from his touch screen and we’ll be here to answer any questions he has down the road and provide him a lifetime of tech support.”
Of her son’s new home Gonzalez’s mother, Maria Baez states, “This is our second miracle. The first miracle was that he lived. The second is now he has a possibility of living well.”
Labels: charity, home automation, HVAC control, lighting control, security systems
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Dan Lowitz
Posted
Thursday, November 5, 2009
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11:23 AM
Mile High Jet Setter
I have gotten to visit some areas I might never have gone as a result too. I got to visit Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, Il. I was in the hills outside of San Jose in a beautiful area of the country known as Los Gatos. Got to see most of Georgia as I drove from about an hour north of Atlanta from a lakeside home to another house in the western hills of the state. Very different areas each stunning in their own way. Our clients have all been very nice and extraordinarily accommodating. The systems have all been substantial and have had all the different services we offer represented. It has been a pleasure so far, despite a few travel issues, and I look forward to working with many more of you in the coming years.
Labels: California, custom install, custom programming, Georgia, home automation, HVAC control, Illinois, integration, lighting control, security systems, Travel, wiring
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Dan Lowitz
Posted
Friday, August 7, 2009
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9:45 AM
Omnistat2 Thermostat Video User Guide
One cool new feature that HAI added to this new model thermostat is you can set the backlight display color from a set of 100 colors. The Omnistat2 can also display a graph of your heating and air conditioning usage over the past 4 weeks. This graph can help give insight on what HVAC settings work best for your house and ultimately can help save on energy bills.
The Omnistat2 has replaced all of HAI’s older model thermostats. They have simplified their climate control product line by offering only two thermostats. In situations where you’re using either a multi-stage system or you’re controlling a humidifier that’s integrated into your HVAC system, you will require the Omnistat2 RC-2000. In all other cases, the RC-1000 will suffice. HAI is also developing a wireless version of the Omnistat2 which is expected to be released later this year.
Labels: HAI, How-to, HVAC control, Omnistat2, Thermostat
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Rob Shah
Posted
Friday, May 8, 2009
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4:10 PM
HVAC Savings
Energy Star reports that the average home will spend approximately $2000.00 a year on heating and cooling costs alone. Larger and multi-zone homes should expect to be in the 2.5 to 3.5 multiplier. Using automated thermostats coupled with an intelligent control system will offer an average conservation of between 16% and 22% depending on usage. The real benefit of the integrated and automated home comes in the worst case scenario. For example, someone leaves a window or door open, the average programmable thermostat has no idea that this has happened and will continue tell the air handler to run. It doesn’t know any better, it is simply trying to do its job. The cost factors of this situation are hard to estimate(we have been told of monthly electric bills near a thousand dollars after just one school day!). The manufacturers do not plan for this. The integration and communication between the security system and the HVAC system are paramount in this instance. Our system will set that zone to a reasonable number (the control system will know the temperature outside) or turn that zone off completely. The decision is yours, we will program it to do so.
You will also not be locked in to a simple schedule any longer. By communicating with the security system the HVAC will know if you are home or away and react according to occupancy. Vacation mode settings will do the same thing. You can hold the temperature where you like it and just give the house a call from the airport to get it back to temperature while you fly coming home to a comfortable house. You can also remotely monitor your homes temperature or have the home call you in the event of an extreme low or extreme high temperature, saving you from possible serious water damage. Those costs are also very hard to estimate (though a client shared a friend’s figure of approx. $200K) and with our system you should never have to.
Labels: costs, energy star, HVAC control, integration, savings, water damage
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Dan Lowitz
Posted
Friday, April 17, 2009
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10:06 AM
Webinars Coming Soon
I will be explaining the systems from start to finish including; the control system or nerve center, multi-room audio, lighting control, security systems and monitoring, HVAC control, remote software, touchscreens along with CCTV cameras and DVRs. We will also focus on programming and custom design.
We will be adding a link next week to our website to allow homeowners to register online.
Link is available this week.
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/921066846
Labels: CCTV cameras, control sytem, design, DVRs, HVAC control, lighting control, monitoring, multi-room audio, programming, remote software, security systems, touchscreens
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Dan Lowitz
Posted
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
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11:16 AM