Universal Devices raffling off (3) ISY-26 automation controllers for Insteon!

Universal Devices is raffling off 3 refurbished ISY-26 automation controllers for Insteon/X10. We'll send you a free ISY-26, you simply provide the 2412S PLM!

To enter your name in our raffle, simply post a message in this thread telling us how you conserve energy using automation in your home. Any idea is fine, and any technology - something as simple as lowering your thermostats based on occupancy, or dimming the lights based on time of day - we'd love to hear what you're doing in your home!

If you'd prefer not to post on the forum, feel free to email your idea to [email protected], which will also enter your name in our drawing.

We will announce the winners on Monday 3/16.

For anyone not familiar, the ISY-26 is a central controller for Insteon/X10. Use it to program, control and automate your Insteon devices from anywhere in the world using the ISY's secure web interface.

Here is a quick list of features:

- Full support for practically all Smarthome Insteon devices
- Support for send/receive of X10 commands through ISY programs
- Diagnostics capabilities & detailed PLM event log monitoring
- SMS and email notifications sent from either UDI servers or your own user-defined SMTP server (support for Gmail)
- Support for Elk M1 security / automation panels
- Sync with NTP server to ensure accurate time
- UPnP support for easy detection on your network and configuration of your router
- SSL (HTTPS) web site for secure communications to and from your ISY
- Support for up to 256 devices/scenes, up to 300 programs
- Simple to use but highly-capable event-based programming interface
- Field-upgradeable firmware
- Free as-is Vista Media Center plug-in for control right from your TV
- Java SDK, Web Services (WSDK) available for developers

I look forward to reading your ideas!

making sure lights are not on in the daytime or when there is no occupancy

All off timers at nite
Motion on off in many rooms
Scenes that turn off lites that are not in use.

Control lighting with M1 to turn on lights based on motion (laundry, storage and bathrooms especially) also allows hands free light activation when you hands are full (laundry and storage rooms) Great in the bathroom for kids needing to wash hands and not needing to turn the lights on with dirty hands.

Also shut off AC's, ceiling fans etc when leaving and arming system away but turn back on if temperature exceeds 82 F in that area of house.

Still have to add IR to turn off TV's, cable boxes, home theater system etc when leaving and arming away (kids leave on).

I already have an ISY so no need to enter me in the contest. To the winners.... enjoy the ISY series is awesome.

I have a detached (150 ft away) heated barn / shop that has it's own high efficiency propane heater. I use a RSC TR16 RS485 thermostat connected via a Cat5 serial wire to my automation server in the house. When I know I want to work on something in the barn, I turn up the heat an hour in advance in the winter before going out there. Before I had the remote controllable thermostat, I would heat the barn all winter long with a propane bill over a $thousand per season.

The barn also has Insteon controlled lighting and fans that I control from within the house. If it's night, I'll turn the lights on with a click on the house's touchscreen to illuminate the driveway path and light up the barn's interiour.

The ELK security system protects the barn.

I have motion sensors that turn lights on when entering the room and turns lights out after no seeing motion for some time..

I control my indoor lighting based on outdoor ambient lighting using a combination of my Davis Vantage Pro weather station and HomeSeer®.

i use my iphone to turn on the heat on the way home from work so i don't have to leave the hvac on all day. i also set the app to turn on lights at 80% by default.

I use Insteon to control all of my lighting in the house. Within HomeSeer I have it set up to turn on the lights automatically based on motion. When there is no motion the lights automatically turn off.
- When we happen to get up in the middle of the night, the house knows what time it is and adjusts the lighting to half.
- If we are watching a movie, it knows not to turn on the lights in the living room but it's OK in the other rooms.
- The lights in the fish tank are also automatically controlled to specific times for on and off
- Even the humidifiers come on and off as needed based on input from the 1-wire devices spread around the house.
- The thermostat also turns it self down at set times of the day, no need to heat if we are at work/school or all sleeping.

Minimize power used by security lighting by combining dusk/dawn timing and arm status of alarm.

Thermostat that knows to set back when everyone has gone to bed

Power measurement and monitoring- leads to greater awareness of what is using up power

I have my lights set to automatically turn off when there is inactivity. Also, my thermostats have temperature sensors to detect whether the heat should be increased or decreased and I have a limit to how high the heat can go.

Motion sensor controlled lights to make sure they get turned off.
I use a 1 wire temperature sensors to monitor temperature and control an air-exchange fan, which turns on to move cooler air around the house in order to delay or prevent usage of the air conditioner.

Dean

Here is my setup.
I have 40 Insteon lighting devices (a mixture) being controlled by Homeseer via a PLM. All lighting is under X10 motion sensor control via a WGL W800 reciever.

During the Day:
Every rooms lights are controlled by motion sensors. The house is smart enough to know when there is not enough light during the day. If natural light is low it will turn on the lights in that area. If there is no motion for 5 minutes the lights turn off.

Sunset to 11PM:
Lights in critical areas such as hallways, stairways and kitchen, selected lights come on at 35% intensity when there is no motion. When motion is sensed the lights go to 100%. When no motion they go back to 35%.

11PM to Sunrise:
all lights will turn off in the house. If motion is detected anywhere, thoes lights will come on at 35% intensity. Again no motion and the lights go off.

My outside lights are also under motion control. So no outside lights are left on for more than 5 minutes.


So aside from saving energy with this setup, I enjoy the low lighting levels at night when I have to get out of bed to go to the bathroom (bright lights wake everyone up). I never have to touch a light switch. My wife doesnot have to remember to turn the lights off.

Another benifit is that I have not changed a light bulb in about 2 years.

Automatically shut off lights in areas of the house that should be unused.
One button "all lights off" to hit when exiting the house.
Motion controlled lighting in the basement.

A lot of thermostat adjustment. However I have also installed some timer switches in some of the bathrooms, as those seem to get left on by my 2 and 4 year boys. Strangely enough they seem to remember their bedroom lights. Anyways, no one should be in the bathroom more than half an hour anyways.
I also have cut down PC usage (I now sleep at night), and consolidated some of my PC's applications into newer, faster, more energy efficient PC's. That has seemed to cut down electricity usage quite a bit.