Let fresh air into your home with TaHoma

Did you know that a lack of fresh air can affect your ability to concentrate and make you feel tired? It’s crucial to regularly ventilate your home, allowing fresh air in to push out stale particles that linger.

Smart technology can now help to detect poor indoor air quality and guide us on when it's time to ventilate. Several smart air-quality monitors are available that can indicate the presence of particles or measure other values. These monitors visualize air quality through a mobile app or other display, often using three different colours – red, yellow and green – with green being the desired state.

Let's look at a simple example.

It's evening and a family is watching TV, with a few candles burning to create a cosy atmosphere. After a while everyone starts to have heavy eyes and feel tired. The air-quality monitor shows a significant increase of particles in the air. These particles are of course coming from the candles.

This can be addressed either by switching on an air purifier, or by opening the door to a patio or balcony to let some fresh air in. The air-quality monitor will soon show a decrease in the number of particles in the air, resulting in better indoor air quality and everyone feeling more energized.

Many people can likely relate to this common scenario. Just as people ventilate their bedrooms in the morning, other rooms need regular airing too.

Use a motorized skylight for convenience

In today’s smart homes, various types of sensors can measure temperature, humidity, and the presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) or Particulate Matter (PM). The latter is specified in numerals such as PM 2.5, for example, where the number indicates the particle diameter. In this example case, the diameter is 2.5 micrometres.

With the help of smart technology it's possible to partially automate solutions that address particulate in the home. For example, motorized skylights from Velux can be easily opened with a remote control or through an app. The skylight can be automated in various ways through integration with TaHoma from Somfy.

You simply program instructions into the app and let the skylight take care of itself. If an indoor temperature sensor indicates that it's very hot, for example, then the skylight can open to release some of the heat. You can also set it to ventilate the home before you return from work, so you come home to a cooler environment. This eliminates the need to immediately turn on air conditioning.

If you have a smart terrace awning with a rain sensor connected, then TaHoma will ensure that the skylight closes when it starts raining – providing both safety and peace of mind.

For the health and well-being of yourself and your family, it’s worth considering smart ventilation as a step towards creating a smarter home.