"The technology has leaped from futuristic sci-fi fantasy to reality in just one generation"
Matt Holmes
A north-west company is kitting out hotels, offices and homes with the latest smart technology including lighting, cinema and security systems.
But Windermere-based Epixx are also leading the field in energy management, aware of their responsibility to create smart but sustainable homes.
Matt Holmes and Ben Tomlinson now head a team of six which winning a reputation for quality and reliability. In two years they have kitted out some of the most impressive homes, hotels and restaurants in Cumbria and Greater Manchester.
They installed sound and lighting systems for the Church Suites at the Cranleigh Hotel, Bowness; and the entire electrical, sound, lighting, music, TV and security systems for the new Fizzy Tarte champagne bar in Bowness.
They are now the main AV contractor for the NW Design Centre in Manchester, the industry leaders for interior fit out and refurbishment projects, who design and manufacture innovative furniture to bars, restaurants and hotels throughout the UK and Europe, and for whose showroom Epixx installed all the AV systems. And they have a new deal to install sound systems in VIP boxes at Leicester Tigers rugby ground.
But as a young team with concern for the environment they wanted to use their technical skills to help home owners and hoteliers alike.
“Gone are the days when the heating was either on or off,” says Matt. “Today we can install a completely bespoke, intelligent climate control system that manages your heating and air conditioning, to keep you perfectly comfortable.
“They can be remotely controlled from one simple touch screen interface or app, or left to automatically allocate heating according to where you are in your home.”
He added: “It’s not just our own concern for a sustainable future. We’re finding that clients now are much more aware of their own responsibilities. They want the latest gadgets and comforts, but not at the expense of further damage to the planet.”
Epixx work with architects and designers to incorporate their latest ideas in new builds and conversions, as well as fitting new sound and lighting systems. “We know that an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution simply won’t suffice, so we spend a great deal of time and effort understanding what a client wants, before designing a system that’s entirely tailored to them.”
As they are completely independent, Epixx can see every project through from start to finish. “So we can recommend and optimise the most suitable combination of technology, integrating everything so the overall solution is greater than the sum of its parts,” says Matt.
So while they can fit a cinema into your home, and provide the best quality sound, and also fit a home security system, with so much of today’s home technology relying on wireless connectivity, Epixx can also help with data infrastructure too.
A central distribution area includes media servers and switches connecting phones, laptops and PCs, with direct connections for TV and games, together with a central hard drive storing all your music, photos, movies and recorded TV programmes that can be accessed throughout your home.
“It’s the technology that has leaped from futuristic sci-fi fantasy to reality in just one generation,” says Matt.
