What Do We Mean By ‘Smart Home’?
The term ‘smart home’ simply means the way of monitoring and controlling the systems in your home remotely. It’s possible to see what the temperature is, switch the cooling down and check that your doors are locked, as well as plenty more. If you would like a smart home you don’t need to buy a new property. It’s possible to make changes to the home you live in by installing features that you are able to control using a computer, a mobile phone or a tablet. Smart home products have gained popularity for various reasons:
- The convenience factor
- The ability to save money
- Makes your home more comfortable
- Makes your home safer
- Are fun and easy to manage.
HOW CAN YOU CHOOSE GOOD SMART PRODUCTS?
The price of smart products can be a little higher than typical home fixtures. That is likely why people don’t tend to upgrade all of their homes at one time. You can opt to do yours all at once or do it in steps. If you choose to get started with a few essentials you should choose smart home systems which are going to have the biggest impact. It’s our recommendation to ask yourself various questions so that you can make a good decision:
- Which of my home systems are causing the biggest running expense?
- Which of my monthly home bills do I want to cut down on the most?
- Which of my home systems do I tend to forget to monitor?
- Which of my home systems do I wish would look after themselves?
- What parts of my home do I feel need better security levels?
By using the list of questions above you should be able to make a short list of things like self-locking windows and doors, stoves or fireplaces which shut off automatically or a way to address lights which are often left on unnecessarily or heating and cooling systems which are not running efficiently. It’s possible for smart home products to solve any, and in fact, all, of such issues.
HOW DO SMART HOME PRODUCTS WORK?
Professionals can quickly and easily install smart home products. Have a chat with your builder, electrician or plumber about products which interest you. Once the products are installed the whole family will be able to make use of them easily. It can take as little as one day to have your smart home products in action.
The first step is to have a specialist discuss the setup, or to use a manual to carry out the initial set up. You may then need to download necessary apps to get an account set up so that the smart features are able to monitor your home effectively. Lastly, you can sleep peacefully knowing that all in your home is well.
Smart home systems can be customized so that they work for you and your needs. That is why smart homes are so convenient. The needs of each family are different, like when they eat a meal, shower, sleep, use home lights and so on. The smart home systems that you use will work along with the schedule that your family has, hence cutting down on energy use and saving you money, as well as time.
HOW DO SMART HOME SYSTEMS SAVE MONEY?
In what ways do smart homes actually save money? Have you ever found yourself looking at your water bill and wishing you could make it lower every time? Or have you found yourself wondering why your heating bill is always sky high? Daily life, as well as seasons, have many fluctuations, however, smart products will minimize these while still making sure that all the needs of your family are delivered on. One example is a smart thermostat which can keep your home cooler during one part of the day and warmer during another part. Once the house is comfortable you won’t need to keep going over to change the thermostat. Plus, if there is never a need to turn the heating up, there also won’t be a need to remind yourself to turn it down again. In addition, smart heating also tends to operate with more energy-efficient heaters and air conditioners.
WHAT’S POPULAR AT THE MOMENT WITH SMART HOMES?
New and innovative products are constantly coming to the market for smart homes. One example is how you can not only program your home thermostat using your mobile, you can also install a smart thermostat that is able to remember preferences you have in heating and cooling and set your home’s temperature without you doing anything to help it. Now that’s what we call having a comfortable home without having a crazy utility bill! Below we have outlined a few more smart products which are on the market:
- Sensors for water leaks
- Valves to shut off water if there is a leak
- Electronic water softeners/conditioners which are automated
- Shutoff for the water heater
- Faucet attachments which save water
- Automated irrigation sprinkler systems
- Programmable thermostats to save energy
- Air conditioning systems which are automated
- Detectors to sense motion
- Automatic, times lights
- Dimmers for lights
- Digital security system
- Automation for home locks
HOW TO GET STARTED
Ensure that you choose high-quality smart home systems by asking your neighbors about the product which they use and consulting experts about the best products on the market. Checking whether a product comes with a warranty is also a good way of knowing whether it is of high quality. If you want to take things slowly, choose just a couple changes to make initially. You can see how they affect your monthly expenses before choosing to continue. Each upgrade you make will affect how much energy and money you use. As you continue to invest in smart products you will see more and more benefit.
