The Honda Smart Home is a high-tech, forward-looking home design that is able to generate enough solar energy to power itself as well as an electric car, while still having leftover energy to supplement its energy grid.
The Honda Smart Home is driven by Honda's proprietary home energy management system. This system is housed in the home's garage and monitors and optimizes electrical consumption across the home's micro-grid.
Heating, cooling and hot water are all provided by a geothermal heat pump. The pump heats water in a tank and delivers it to the shower. The waste water is then used to help pre-heat cold water, reducing the amount of energy it takes to provide hot water to the home.
The Honda Smart Home comes with a Honda Fit electric car. The home's solar panels provide more than enough power for a typical daily commute. The car can accept DC power directly from the home's solar panels, preventing the energy loss that occurs during DC to AC electrical conversion.
Energy-Producing Smart Homes
The Honda Smart Home Generates More Energy Than It Uses Up
Trend Themes
1. Energy-producing Smart Homes - The Honda Smart Home's ability to generate and store excess solar energy for electric cars presents an opportunity for further development of energy-producing smart homes.
2. Home Energy Management Systems - Honda's proprietary home energy management system showcases the potential for optimizing electrical consumption across micro-grids, creating opportunities for innovation in home energy management.
3. Geothermal Heat Pumps - The geothermal heat pump in the Honda Smart Home demonstrates the potential for reducing energy consumption in heating, cooling, and hot water systems, providing opportunities for disruptive innovation in geothermal technology.
Industry Implications
1. Renewable Energy - The Honda Smart Home's energy generation capabilities and integration with electric cars suggest opportunities for renewable energy companies to explore the development of energy-producing smart homes.
2. Home Automation - The Honda Smart Home's use of a home energy management system highlights the potential for home automation companies to enhance energy optimization and monitoring capabilities in residential settings.
3. Green Building - The incorporation of geothermal heat pumps in the Honda Smart Home presents opportunities for the green building industry to innovate in energy-efficient heating, cooling, and hot water systems.