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The SMART home generates thousands of kilobytes of data from connected devices
and this is extremely valuable and the reason for so much excitement in the industry
and emerging trends. Smart home solutions provide the framework that enables
companies to learn more about their customers, which means they can sell more
services more effectively, retain more customers, and ultimately generate more
revenue in an increasingly challenging and competitive business climate

The Data Protection Act, 2020 is a robust document that adequately deals with the standards and conditions
for processing sensitive personal data and exemption and enforcement in Jamaica. The several scenarios and
challenges presented by IoT will require the regulator to be on their toes and ahead of the curve to ensure
minimum standards are set and compliance to these standards.

BRINGING IT HOME!
There is growing interest in developing SMART homes in Jamaica and there have been many discussions in the
public domain as to the importance of SMART homes. In October 2022, I had the opportunity as the keynote
speaker to share with the Jamaica Developer’s Association’s (JDA) Real Estate and Development Webinar where
I discussed the Smart Homes and the Future of Renewables in Jamaica.

The Government of Jamaica has set a goal of achieving 50% of the energy in the country from renewable
sources by 2030 and the SMART home has a role to play in achieving this target. This means that close to
1000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy must be added to the national grid. It is estimated that 1 MW
of solar energy requires 4 to 5 acres of land, while some industry sources quote that a wind farm typically
requires between 2 to 40 acres per megawatt of capacity, depending on a variety of factors including terrain.
Open and flat land typically requires more terrain for wind power efficiency. Considering the vast amount of
valuable and limited land space that grid scale solar and wind will take on this small island mass, I posit that
SMART homes will be needed to achieve this level of renewable energy penetration. Furthermore, SMART
home energy systems are ideal in lowering the cost of energy, as it shifts the investment dollar from the high
capital-intensive centralized generation, which must be recovered from regulatory tariffs through energy bills.
I also presented some of the specific challenges in Jamaica and how the JDA could incorporate solutions to
these challenges in their engineering and designs and why it was essential for the sustainable development
of the country.

The well-known benefits of the smart home include:
1. Automatically turning off devices not being used
2. Alerting you for security or safety concerns and can automatically notify the relevant authorities
3. Rental property management and maintenance (Access, Energy management, etc.,)
4. Automating simple tasks like, making coffee, opening the blinds, watering the lawn, reading the daily news
headlines, playing your favourite music, charging the car, cooling or heating the home all of which can be
done with a high degree of personalization (profile) and adopts around your life cycle.
5. Permitting the remote monitoring and control of the home from a mobile app

All of these benefits are important to Jamaicans and with the convergence of technology, they are no longer
reserved for the wealthy and very soon, will be unavoidable. The best approach is to anticipate and incorporate
them into the ecosystem of the “future home design”.

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