Honda tests ‘smart home’ in Japan that runs on off-grid energy

11 May 2012

The Honda 'smart home' in the city of Saitama in Japan. Image by Honda

Honda has been pioneering a new type of smart home in Japan to test out its Honda Smart Home System (HSHM) technologies to control and monitor energy usage using solar power, gas and electric cars.

Honda is now gearing up to carry out demonstration testing of the HSHS with electric vehicles and its Internavi system for controlling home appliances remotely. Incidentally, Internavi is only available in Japan.

Via this demonstration testing, Honda said it will aim to reduce CO2 by 50pc and to verify the future direction of personal mobility.

The test house, built by Honda, is located in the city of Saitama in Japan. According to Honda, its technologies used in the test house have been designed to enable users to secure their own supply of energy and mobility in a time of disaster.

The test house itself features thin-film solar-cell panels, a home battery unit, a household gas-engine cogeneration unity, plus a hot-water supply system.

Another piece of clean technology Honda has created is its Smart e Mix Manager. Apparently, this is an energy-management device that can apply optimal control to electricity supplied from the commercial grid and generated by each energy device that composes the system.

Honda said Smart e Mix will have the capacity to lower CO2 emissions from homes, as well as being an electricity supply back-up so the house can be self-sufficient in the event of a power outage or a natural disaster.

Honda smart home concept house which is located in Saitama City in Japan

Depiction of how the house can be powered by technologies such as EVs. Image by Honda

There’s no word, though, on when, and if, this house will ever become a reality …

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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