ABB’S BABY BOOMERS

HELPING BABY BOOMERS ADAPT TO LATER LIFE

With the UK having an aging population, Dean Reddy, ABB’s Product Marketing Specialist for smart buildings, explains how integrators can adapt the market for later living, and what the UK can learn from one property developer in Australia.

The oldest baby boomers are turning 76 this year, creating a growing appetite for technology that can support people in later life and help them adapt their homes. The baby boomer generation is largely independent, wealthy and tech savvy, having influenced youth culture in the 60s and 70s, led the economic growth of the 80s and invented the internet. As they approach later life, they want to keep that independence and are open to using smart building technology to achieve that.

This is creating an opportunity for smart home integrators.

What are the most important considerations when specifying a system for later living and assisted living?

In addition to functionality, the most important factors for any later or assisted living project are future-proofing and energy efficiency. ABB i-bus KNX can be installed to control lighting, HVAC, security and appliances. However, as people age, their needs change and they need a home that will adapt.

This may require integrating new appliances into an existing system – for example, adding door control, a lifting hoist or adjustable-height kitchen worktops. Looking beyond building control, it’s also worth advising homeowners to build flexibility into the structure of their property, for example by specifying solid walls where grab rails can be mounted or designing the bathroom so that the shower cubicle can be replaced with a wet room facility without altering the tiling.

In addition, whether it is a homeowner, care home provider or local authority paying the utility bill, energy efficiency is important. Today, the data from PIR sensors provides the insight to enable a smart building system to save energy by switching lighting and heating off when a room is not occupied.

New developments within the next year will see the introduction of artificial intelligence so that a building can learn about the habits of its occupants and adapt in anticipation. For example, by turning up the heating in their bedroom as bedtime approaches – optimising energy consumption and comfort.

How can a smart building system help attract homebuyers?

It is also important to combine good aesthetic design with functionality as this enables developers to create desirable homes with a wow factor. One example is Casa Capace. It is a home concept created by Australian developer DPN as Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in response to the Australian government’s plan for SDA housing for 28,000 people with disabilities.

DPN’s goal was to create a designer home that anybody would want to live in and for it to be impossible to tell that the home has been designed for care of disabled residents. It turned to ABB to provide a building automation scheme based on i-bus KNX, to be secure, robust and intuitive for residents.

KNX controls doors, lighting, HVAC, TVs and adjustable kitchen worktops. Another important aspect of the specification was future-proof technology that can be adapted to integrate new features and products as the needs of residents change over time.

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison opened DPN’s first two Casa Capace homes in Sydney’s Oran Park district in February 2020. Within three months, the developer had received expressions of interest in future homes worth £115 million.

DPN’s experience is one that can inform life in the UK, where 4.3% of people will be aged 85 or older by 2045 (up from 2.5% in 2020). As the population ages, people with skills in the care sector will be in high demand so integrating KNX technology has potential to help people make the most of care workers’ time.

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