Project Sustainability

Peggy Smedley and Michael Seeland, cofounder, Seeland-Jung, talk all about KNX and the products used. He says KNX is a worldwide building automation standard that can make a home more comfortable and secure. They also discuss: The definition of an intelligent switch. How standards can lead to greater security and comfort in the home. How KNX being wired makes it more secure and reliable. knxshop.u...

Peggy Smedley and Jason Turner, vice president and cofounder, PowerShades, talk about the company and how it is an engineering company first to help energy management and sunlight management in homes. He says depending on the age of your home, the proper use of window coverings can be one of the largest energy savers you can have. They also discuss: How to reduce your energy usage by up to 30%. An...

Peggy Smedley and Bastian Elsner, head of international sales at Elsner Elektronik, talk about interoperability and automation. He says the family-owned company is a German-based company that is in the automation business—mainly with KNX. They also discuss: Sensors and how they are the eyes and ears of the house, with one example of shading and brightness sensors. The difference between a DIY prod...

Peggy Smedley and Ansul Rajgharia, director, connected products and surge, Schneider Electric, talk about what a sustainable home would look like. He says a sustainable home will have a couple of different features including being resilient, automatically figuring out the best way to be using the cleanest energy available, and helping with the stabilization of the overall grid. They also discuss:...

Peggy Smedley and Ansul Rajgharia, director, connected products and surge, Schneider Electric, talk about some of the solutions it offers to help homeowners. He says Wiser Energy is like a FitBit for your home—and that we need to understand where and how we are spending our energy. They also discuss: How Wiser Energy works, what makes it unique, and the installation process. The cost of such a sys...

Peggy Smedley and Brad Wills, director, strategic customers and programs, Schneider Electric, talk about why home energy really matters and where else or how else can customers start or continue on that energy journey. He shares a few reasons why home energy matters. They also discuss: Why energy is going to go up in cost and why it is important to learn how to save. Smart thermostats and how set...

Peggy and Brad Wills, director, strategic customers and programs, Schneider Electric, talk about some of the trends that are making homeowners think about their energy—how they are using it and where it is coming from. He says resiliency is having an impact, as more people are moving to a model of working from home. They also discuss: How utilities are moving away from a flat pricing structure to...

Peggy Smedley wraps up the month of June by recapping the topics explored through the past three months including water, air, and lighting. She also gives a quiz on these topics and shares the answers at the end of the segment. The quiz questions are: How many deaths is unsafe water responsible for each year globally? How much time do Americans spend indoors—and how much higher are pollutants indo...

Peggy Smedley and Patrick Gall, head of channel development, Orro, talk about how health and wellness come up more than ever—and how lighting is a core part of this. He says being at home more with COVID, we have been thinking about our wellbeing at home. They also discuss: How lighting impacts sleep and wellness. How lighting can impact stress, energy, and overall wellbeing. How lighting impacts...

Peggy Smedley and Patrick Gall, head of channel development, Orro, talk about safety and security in the home. He says safety and security products have become much more accessible to the homeowner more than ever. They also discuss: How lighting plays a bigger role with safety and security than we might think. The importance of partnerships and how to go about making integrations seamless for the...

Peggy Smedley and Patrick Gall, head of channel development, Orro, talk about lighting and interoperability in the smart home. He says lighting is not this standalone part of our home that can't interact and tie to other smart home devices we have around the house. They also discuss: Why we need the computers in our home to do the thinking and the work for us. If the average person can afford the...

Peggy Smedley and Patrick Gall, head of channel development, Orro, talk about human-centric lighting and what that means. He says it provides people on a day-to-day basis with the right amount of light for their bodies that will sync with their body's daily cycles. They also discuss: How energy is wasted with manual lighting. How technology can help manage and track lighting. How to simplify light...

Peggy and Michael Don Ham, WELL Faculty, co-founder, RePure, discuss collaboration on home projects. He says when we look at a home, he suggests looking at all the stakeholders involved and that a holistic healthy home require many different elements. They also discuss: Partnering with custom integrators and wellness professionals. Interoperability and how some things don't play well together. The...

Peggy and Michael Don Ham, WELL Faculty, co-founder, RePure, talk about the last decade and how the market has progressed and how many homeowners are putting health and wellness into their home as a top priority with more than 80% of people willing to pay more for a healthier home. They also discuss: The importance of ventilation, filtration, and humidity control when building and designing any ty...

Peggy and Michael Don Ham, WELL Faculty, co-founder, RePure, talk about how sustainability and health have to go hand-in-hand in the home. He says the environment impacts our health, so if the environment is not healthy and air pollution rises, then all of this air is going to find its way into the home and impact us. They also discuss: How to ensure your environment isn't harming your health or t...

Peggy and Michael Don Ham, WELL Faculty, co-founder, RePure, talk about his passion for helping people live healthier and how the company was created to protect people's health within the built environment. He says with climate change the planet is being decimated in many ways and it impacts the quality of the air outside, which impacts our health. They also discuss: The invisible nature of air qu...

The air in our home is often two-to-10 times more polluted than the air outside. Peggy and Erik Bernal, CEO, Elite Water Systems, talk about the unregulated industry of indoor air quality. He says we spend 90% of our times indoors, so where are we getting sick when we get sick: indoors. They also discuss: What exactly we are regulating with chemicals in our home. The importance of technology and a...

Peggy and Erik Bernal, CEO, Elite Water Systems, talk about the Clean Water Act—where we were and where we are today. He says in the 1970s, the Clean Water Act was implemented because of microbiological contamination—and that not much has changed since then. They also discuss: How many people have access to safe drinking water. Why clear water isn't clean water. Tips and solutions for what to do a...

Peggy and Erik Bernal, CEO, Elite Water Systems, talk about the biggest purchase we will make in our lives: our home. He says it might as well be a healthy one. Prior to the pandemic, we were spending 90% of our times indoors. He says when the pandemic hit, that changed, and we accelerated the need for agility within our space. They also discuss: The definition of pandemic ready and healthy homes....

On the inaugural episode of Project Sustainability Podcast, Peggy and Erik Bernal, CEO, Elite Water Systems, talk about wellness and how water has to be at the forefront of homes. When Katrina hit, there was a cocktail soup bowl of mess in the water. He shares the four things he asked an army reserve specialist following Katrina. They also discuss: Why he is focusing on water and air at this momen...