FAQ

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Q. Can home automation with Clipsal C Bus be integrated with solar power for lighting, water heaters and power for operating remote gates etc to further reduce electricity consumption from the main grid?

A:Answer: Yes the Clipsal C bus system can most definitely be connected to and control the following items

1. Connected to a Battery back up and inverter charged via photovoltaic cells is exactly the same principle as conventional electricity as C bus is connected "After" the main point of entry and only controls downstream of the main point of entry. The advantage one has with installing the Clipsal c bus is that lights can be dimmed, geysers switched off and the electrical load can be effectively managed to suit the amount of stored energy available. When using Solar generation and batteries, Time Of Use, becomes a major part of the efficiency of the installation. C Bus can manage the time of use per appliance / connected load, effectively further reducing demand

2. Solar water heaters usually have back up electrical connections, This power can be managed in several ways not only to reduce the demand in one particular Villa, but allow for load shedding so that no more than 5 water heaters in a development or township could be drawing current at the same time, further reducing power demand and usage. For holiday villas these geysers would only have to be activated when the unit is occupied and switched off when not. This type of control could be done remotely from anywhere in the world via laptop or cell phone or just from the main reception area in the resort.

3. External proximity-sensors can be used to activate solar powered or standard 220v pathway lights to burn only when movement is detected as someone walks by or drives by, automatically switching off a few seconds after the person or vehicle has passed by. Drastically reducing battery usage or electrical usage or both

4. Remote gates can be hooked up to the a free standing Solar panel and post designed for this application and opened via hand held, personal remote controls and there is little benefit from hooking them up to C bus unless "international remote control" is required. Typically opening the gate for the maintenance crew whilst sitting in your office in the UK perhaps!

5. In a conventional installation, energy management can be achieved just by using occupancy sensors, dimming lights and scheduling geysers. A 50% reduction in power consumption is quite easily achieved

Q. We have heard that there are huge extra costs in terms of wiring for the Clipsal C Bus Automation system

A: The Clipsal C bus system requires only marginally more 220v wire than a conventionally wired installation and certainly far less 220v wiring required for any other automation system currently on the market.

Q. How can you be so sure of your facts when you only specialize in one product namely Clipsal C Bus

A: Well we have in our group Amandla Electrical Contractors; we have made it our business to tender on electrical projects where different automation products have been specified. So we do consider ourselves experts. We have on site, practical experience with several so called home automation products. These installations cannot compare with the C Bus products and this is why we are so proud of the Clipsal C Bus System

Q. We have been told that the distribution boards occupy a whole wall or require a special room

A: Again an area where our competitors fall short, our control boards in a typical residential installation will not be bigger than one half of domestic stable door 900mm x 600mm. In some instances we would require two or three such boards, but with our electrical contracting experience, intelligent design and the flexibility afforded by C bus we can locate some control boards upstairs to service that floor or at the main gate to service garden lights, spools, water features etc.

Q What happens when there is a power failure?

A: The same as with a normal electrical installation - you would have no power. When power is returned the c bus system will revert back to the position/ mode it was in when power was lost. In other words the non volatile memory would ensure that if your lounge lights were on before the power failure then that same lounge light would be in the on position when power returned.

Q. Do I have to reboot the system? Is it driven via a PC?

A: No this is not an issue, all C-bus components are stand alone and have their own intelligence so if the Touch screen is smashed the installation will not be affected and control from all the other input devices would still be 100% accurate. In fact one can disconnect the entire bus network and still have effective manual control via the output devices located inside the control panel/Db. When I demonstrate this and other reliability tests in our training facility it literally blows you away and you realize that there is just no other product as comprehensive

Q. How sensitive is the system to power surges and lightning

A: The system is amazingly robust, however as with all specialized electronic equipment; we specify and install comprehensive lightning and surge protection equipment.

Q. Is the system user friendly?

A: Another reason why 80% of new homes in Australia are fitted with C bus, the answer “Absolutely” even for a Sparkie like me. So much so that some of our clients have confessed that they could never live I a non C-Bus home again !

Q. Why make use of occupancy sensors

A: This aspect gets me really excited, I am a little lazy and I hate having to walk around after staff, kids and visitors switching off bathroom lights, pantry lights, scullery lights, garage lights, especially during daylight when most of them did not need to switched on in the first place.
The occupancy sensors, well I love them and we able to adjust the lux levels so that they will come on during the day if for example there are storm clouds. Or the garage door is closed. These units are so well designed and multifunctional again this level of automation is what separates C Bus from any other product.

Q. Can I run my swimming pool and irrigation system from C Bus?

A: Yes with amazing levels of intelligence that you will not find in any of the off the shelf devices sold by both respective trades. The logic is there in the colour touch screen to prevent the irrigation from turning on whilst it is raining, or to control the water level in your rim flow pool “wow” , need we say more?

Q. Can you control our garage doors and gates?

A: Absolutely and we can even give you a graphic representation on your touch screen which will show whether the door or doors are open or closed, same goes for driveway gates or pedestrian gates

Q. What advantage is there in integrating with the alarm and CCTV SYSTEM?

A: Our Minder Pro Premise Automation alarm and security panel comes with a host of added features that take your security, intercommunication, voice mailboxes and “away Mode” random switching of lights etc, to another level. Too much info to discuss here.

Q. Can you give me individual audio control for multiple users?

A: Yes and we have a new product that comes complete with a hand held selection and control device which will give you a visual play list including song, album, title genre, volume control, zone control and all in a wireless hand held device, quite fantastic. This is the revolutionary system developed by SONOS, Check out www.Sonos.com

Q. Can we add on to the system when we extend our home?

A: Yes but there are considerations, again we are more than able to assist

Q. Can we save on electricity bill?

A: Energy saving is the worlds buzzword and yes our system will save you on your electricity usage

Q. Does this system add to our re sale value?

A: Difficult question. The answer is Yes to a buyer who in interested in home automation, No to the buyer who isn’t, same as Granite kitchen tops or wooden kitchen tops, however it will have more resale value than curtains, or even floor finishes.

Q. Who takes responsibility for the system once it is installed and you have been paid?

A: As we are also responsible to issue a compliance certificate it is us, however there are a number of qualified C Bus System-Integrators that could continue with your project if something were to happen to us. There is super back up from Clipsal SA and Group Schneider SA so you will not be left hanging, ------ever.

Q. My electrician says that he is not prepared to issue a certificate of compliance for your C Bus installation so where does that leave us?

A: He is quite right and why should he. He must however issue a certificate for his installation and exclude the C Bus installation. We will install, commission, program all our own product and issue a certificate of compliance to cover our Installation

Q. Can we re program this ourselves?

A: Yes provided the necessary hardware has been allowed for to enable you to do this . We have clients with I.T. backgrounds who happily re programme their homes

Q. What sets the Clipsal C – Bus system apart from the other systems on the market?

A: EVERYTHING