Page 29 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2019 Issue

CRISIS MANAGEMENT Propane Heating Backup
No article about ALT would be com-
plete without including a plan for
when things go wrong.
For health crises—such as a fall, a
stroke or a heart attack—a combina-
tion of passive monitoring, and in
the case of high-risk people, an ac-
tive monitor or two, such as a smart
necklace or a ring with geofencing
built in, could o er a backup and One to rule them. Smart rings
rapid response. Voice control, as- like this one, available from
suming the person can talk, o ers Walmart for under $7, could
yet another lifeline. easily be adapted as a backup
Older people also become alert system for seniors living
vulnerable in natural disasters. An in ALT homes.
ALT home with a power outage during a snowstorm may become
a deathtrap. Critical systems must remain operational to create a
“safety net,” if weather, wild re or other scenario leaves them cut o .
The most obvious top priority is electricity, not just to keep the

Life saver. For senior homes in cold regions, installing a small propane
backup heater could be life-saving during a power outage. Units, such as
this Martin direct vent wall heater, are highly rated.
lights on, but also to keep the Wi-Fi modem operating and heating or
cooling systems operational. Cooling is perhaps the biggest challenge.
Even heat pump systems require a lot of power to cool a house,
although one of the rare, solar-powered models such as the DC 48v
may do the job—if the sun is shining.
Think of the ALT house as a part-time survival station. Drop it
Water watch. Leak detectors, such as Phyn, demonstrate the into a blizzard situation in Antarctica. Which systems would stop
potential for passive monitoring without video surveillance. working immediately? In what priority should various electronics
be kept “online?”
Silent Systems (UPC) in the form of a battery backup. The preferred power source
Every ALT house needs a reliable uninterrupted power supply
would be renewable solar photovoltaic panels, but it should be grid-
ASSIVE SYSTEMS CLEVERLY use mundane data to check tied as well, so that batteries are never below peak when the outage
on residents. Leak detection systems, for example, offer hits. It’s also a good idea to have some sort of Wi-Fi backup source.
a baseline of “normal” behavior that can be watched
P for variations. Was the toilet flushed only once, when For example, a low-cost cellular data hotspot could be programmed
to activate automatically when the normal Wi-Fi signal is lost.
normally it is used four times per day? Has the kitchen sink been Self-contained, self-monitoring and respectful of the long, eventful
operated long enough to fill a pan, or a teapot? Did the unusual lives of their inhabitants, ALT homes are possible, affordable
patterns begin after a bath was drawn? Could the occupant be in and inevitable. We expect to see some real innovation from
trouble, perhaps unable to get out of the tub? Alarms can be set, manufacturers in coming years, and some great designs that give
and actions triggered by certain conditions.
seniors a chance to enjoy their golden years at home. GB

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