by General Manager Sean Clarke
Everyone talks about beautiful kitchens, comfortable kitchens, hearths of the home…now it’s time to talk Smart Kitchens. You’re invited to Clarke’s Milford showroom to experience just that…a wonderful collaboration incorporating extraordinary appliances from Clarke and technology from simpleHome in Westborough, MA.
The Clarke Smart Kitchen, with technology designed by simpleHome, allows Clarke’s showroom team to demonstrate the operation of many smart home features to showroom visitors including:
- Lighting control
- Energy monitoring
- Audio/video system control
- Climate control
In addition, the Sub-Zero refrigerator is integrated into the control platform, allowing visitors to experience their first “smart” refrigerator.
For a preview of what you can experience for yourself at Clarke’s Smart Kitchen, here is a run down of how the touch panel (shown above) has been programmed:
- Press Watch and you can select from your favorite channels, movies, etc. While you are watching a kitchen television (usually under or in a cabinet), your cable boxes, AppleTV, even a computer (Mac Mini or PC) are located in an equipment rack in the basement or closet. With one button, you watch seamlessly while preparing dinner or school lunches.
- Press Listen and you can pick music including Rhapsody and digital music. Select your music choice (iTunes, streaming, etc.) through the touch panel and in-ceiling speakers deliver fabulous sound to your kitchen.
- Press Comfort and you can adjust the thermostat. No HVAC contractor puts a thermostat in a kitchen because it isn’t a good place to read the room temperature. However, with our touch panel, you have access to it from the kitchen. In fact, you have access to all thermostats in the house from the kitchen!
- Press Energy to see detailed information on the devices consuming energy (in Clarke’s Smart Kitchen you can learn how much energy is being generated by Clarke’s rooftop solar panels.)
- Press Security and you can control the security system and look at security cameras around the home.
It doesn’t stop there, though. Some of the more interesting smart home functionality is engaged using the House Modes button, which allows you to select Home, Away, Vacation, Entertain, Goodnight, etc.
- Away: sets the Sub-Zero refrigerator to short vacation mode, turns off lights, sets back thermostat, turns off music and TVs
- Vacation: sets the Sub-Zero refrigerator to long vacation mode, turns off lights, sets back thermostat even further, turns off music and TVs
- Home: sets the Sub-Zero refrigerator to normal energy mode, runs occupied thermostat schedule
- Entertain: sets the Sub-Zero refrigerator to high-usage mode, sets a lighting scene, plays classical music, runs the house fan
- Goodnight: sets Sub-Zero refrigerator to night mode ice-making, turns off lights, turns off music and TVs
- Sabbath – sets Sub-Zero to Sabbath mode, turns off all electronics in house, etc – can be scheduled based on the calendar
It may all sound like a Jetson’s television episode…but the future is now. Save energy and time, all while enjoying greater comfort, convenience and entertainment in today’s Smart Kitchen…come visit one for yourself at Clarke Milford!
To make an appointment to tour Clarke’s Smart Kitchen, click here.