Author: Peggy Smedley
Is our data safe? Candidly, no, and it hasn’t been safe for a very long time. Every business, every consumer, is in danger of being hacked. If we don’t do something about this soon, we are all going to be victims at one point or another. So, let’s be clear, knowing that it isn’t safe and trying to do something about it are certainly two different things when it comes to protecting your more valuable assets. But, more importantly now, what are we going to do about it? Let me give you a recent example. The British Council is an…
Today kicks off the 2022 NAHB (National Assn. of Home Builders) IBS (Intl. Builders Show). We can expect big news from the technology companies—there has already been a promise from at least one to print a home at the show. At the same time, we can expect big news from companies providing smart-home technologies. One area that smart devices are set to take off in is multifamily properties. Parks Associates suggests 27% of MDU (multi-dwelling unit) residents have a smart device provided by their landlord or property owner and the overwhelming majority value the safety and security benefits of these…
If the grid goes down, will your home’s energy stay up? New technologies are becoming available that are making smart-home energy management a reality for today’s homeowners. The global energy-management system market size is projected to reach $41.97 billion by 2027, exhibiting 9.9% growth. Integration of AI (artificial intelligence) in renewable energy management will play a decisive role in augmenting this market, says Fortune Business Insights. Offering a similar prediction, Allied Market Research suggests a 9.6% growth through 2027 in the smart-energy market, with robust investment in smart-grid technologies one of the major drivers. Perhaps we need to take a…
In mid-January of this year, Winter Storm Jasper, as it was labeled by the Weather Channel, blasted through the southeastern states, leaving tens of thousands of people without power and bringing snow and ice to the south—impacting states from Texas to Virginia. Here in the Carolinas, ice is a real threat, as it is heavy enough to knock out power. To this, I ask: What exactly are we doing to ensure our infrastructure is resilient to such storms? In order to answer this question, let’s first look back to February of last year. The Feb. 13–17, 2021 North American winter…
Are we prepared for the uptick of work that is inevitably coming as a result of the five-year $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which aims to rebuild America’s infrastructure? I am not so sure. Let us look at one specific example: equipment. Keeping track of rented and owned equipment often still involves spreadsheets and a chain of text messages too long to manage effectively. The result is not having a true status of owned and rented assets. This leads to financial loss from overdue or duplicate rentals; missed project deadlines from incorrect equipment allocation; unnecessary wear and tear…
We as consumers don’t typically consider how much energy we use when we turn our connected devices on and off. Numerous studies have shown electricity use is often overestimated for low-energy consuming appliances and underestimated for high-energy consuming appliances and that consumers in general lack information about how much electricity can be saved through specific strategies. Let’s change this. Today I want to debunk many myths around energy consumption in the home, in an effort to help everyone better understand how much we consume—so we can then use that knowledge to bring down our footprint. First, it might be helpful…
Episode 753 01.11.22 Peggy and Jason Turner, vice president and cofounder, PowerShades, talk about the Sustainable Living Lab, and how PowerShades is contributing to the effort to help reduce energy costs in this Living Lab home. Turner explains how leveraging automated shades in existing homes has played a pivotal role in reducing energy costs and has paved the way for integrating digital technologies with lighting controls and even making homes generally more sustainable overall. Below is an excerpt from the interview. To hear the entire interview on The Peggy Smedley Show, visit http://www.peggysmedleyshow.com, and click here select 01/11/22 from the…
We have reached the point in many industries where we have a new type of worker—one that is very visual, more visual perhaps than previous generations. The question now becomes: How do we train them? We need to give them the right knowledge—information—to get the job done, but we also need them to have the expertise, which is a skill that comes from particular knowledge. Building on one of my previous blogs, where I talk about assisted-reality for frontline workers, with the example of RealWear’s RealWear Navigator 500, assisted-reality wearables will evolve in the future, and could potentially help train…
I have long been calling for government to invest in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Not only that, but we need to do it in a way that is intelligent. We have the technology at our disposal to build infrastructure that is smart, and we need to take the steps to do so. Here are four key things that have impacted the industry in the past several months—and some thoughts on what needs to happen next with our infrastructure. The Need for Repair Last March, the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) released its 2021 Infrastructure Report Card. It had been…
What exactly is solar? How does it connect to the house? How can it help reduce our emissions? Let’s explore all the basics about solar today, to help set everyone—government, homebuilders, homeowners, business owners, and more—up for success in the future. What Is Solar At its core, solar radiation is light that is emitted by the sun. Naturally, this can vary based on location, as the amount of solar that reaches one spot on the Earth is different from another. That solar power can then be converted into thermal or electrical energy. There are two main types of solar energy…