Paid for contentAutomation Island brings smart building technology to Shetland
A NEW company set up in Shetland last year offers smart technology and all aspects of automation for local homeowners and businesses.
Justin Rhodes moved to Shetland in 2020 having gained 20 years’ experience working in smart building technology.
Justin has an impressive track record when it comes to past projects.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work on some incredible buildings, from 16th century colleges to Royal palaces,” he explained.
“I love a challenge, and one of my most difficult past projects was the control systems for the Royal Naval College Painted Hall, often known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of the UK’ which took several years to complete and picked up some national architectural awards.
“When I moved up here, I wasn’t sure how much demand there would be for the type of automation that I’d been working on with my company based in Oxford. I’ve since learned that the need up here is just as great and decided to set up Automation Island and take on projects in Shetland.
“There’s a real demand for better controls in the more northerly climates, not only because of the weather but also the extremes of daylight in the summer and winter months,” he continued.
“A simple installation of a zoned heating control system can make a huge difference, only warming the areas that are in use and levelling up the temperature across a property,” Justin explained.
“Smart wireless battery-operated radiator valves can be fitted to replace the standard valves, monitor room temperature, turning on and off areas automatically. The cost of installation can pay for itself in no time and save a huge amount of energy.”
Better lighting control and motorised blinds
Good lighting control is an area that can make all the difference in the long winters, the quality of light and controls from the right manufacturers can perfectly dim and set scenes instead of having a confusing bank of switches.
“When you enter a luxury hotel or bar and say, ‘wow this is nice and cosy’ it’s not by chance,” Justin continued.
“Some great design has gone into making it feel that way. Dim to warm is really nice, the lighting changes to a warmer environment when the lights are dimmed down.”
But by far the biggest interest he has noticed is with motorised blinds and shades.
“Many people have built properties that make the most of the incredible views that Shetland has to offer. Large glass aspects are great, but they come with problems in controlling the light and heat,” he said.
“Manual blinds don’t really work well in this scenario with cords in the way or controls out of reach, curtains take up space and restrict the view, so motorised blinds come into their own here.
“Motorised blinds can be tucked away and controlled together or set to dusk and dawn times automatically. There are hundreds of fabric options with properties to help with heat control, glare, privacy, blackout and of course to work with the home interiors.”
The company offers help with most things electronic, including security systems and even networking and Wi-Fi.
Automation Island is based in Lerwick and takes on all sizes of projects across Shetland. Justin can be contacted on justin@automationisland.com, phone 0800 949 9555 or visit www.automationisland.com
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