Homeowners may think that automated energy systems are a thing of the future, but they might soon become a reality if research being undertaken in Germany is anything to go by.

Andy Stanford-Clark, master inventor for IBM, believes there is potential for automated houses to save people money, especially if they respond to a person's presence in a room.

One of the ways in which this can be achieved is through heating systems, he stressed, as temperatures can be reduced and lowered depending on an individual's needs.

This can also help cut energy loss, as heating may be switched off in rooms where a window has been left open, for example.

"Lighting - turning lights on and off when they're needed, rather than just leaving them on all the time because that's easier, again, can save lots of money/energy," Mr Stanford-Clark identified.

He added that one major way of losing energy is through leaving appliances on standby, so by creating a device which switches them off completely depending on who is in the house, this problem can be reduced.

This may only save minimal amounts of energy at first, but over a prolonged period, the benefits will start to be seen, the expert continued.

"For every watt that's on for a whole year, it's a pound - "one pound per watt per year" - so not leaving TV, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, power bricks, printer, scanner, etc on standby is a good way to save energy," Mr Stanford-Clark emphasised.
Researchers are currently looking into the feasibility of these systems in Saarbrucken, where they hope the plans will become a reality to help give freedom to older and disabled people by automating their homes.

The products will be controlled in the home using a range of devices including mobile phones and touch screens.