Owner's Manual (Complete)

The Home Control Assistant

Chapter 5

Home Modes

Home Modes are a very simple yet powerful system to control devices in your home as your home

goes though its day.

Let’s assume a normal day as see what you do and how your home can respond.

Midnight Asleep

6am You wake up

7:30 am You leave home

6:30 pm You return home

10:30 pm You go to bed

OK, so that’s the schedule now let’s see how your devices should respond.

Most televisions these days are never really off. They are in a lower power mode when they

appear off but still are using power. This makes it possible for remote controls to turn them on.

When you are not at home or asleep the TV might as well be truly powered off. You can do this

by plugging it into a controllable outlet.

Battery chargers

Anything with a “power brick” uses power even if nothing is attached to it. When you are not at

home it should be off. When you are home – even when you are asleep – it should remain

powered on so things can charge. Again, a controllable outlet can be used here.

Interior lighting

Interior lighting should be off when you are not at home and should go off when you leave or when

you go to bed. While you are home, nothing should be automated.

Circulation Pump

There is no point in having hot water distributed though your home when you are away but should

come on when you get up and when you return home.

These are just some of the devices in your home that can be controlled based upon what

Mode

your home is in. The intent here is to have off what should be off when it should be off. This

results in energy savings and reduced electricity use.

Some very simple options in the properties for your devices can make all this happen.

HCA supports this with four modes. Three are defined by default:

 Home & Awake

 Home & Asleep

 Away

You can change the names of the modes, remove the pre-defined ones or add others.