From voice-controlled lighting, thermostat and home appliances, to automated security cameras and access controls – it is without a doubt that smart home technology has changed the way we interact and experience comfort and security in our own home.
With automation technology rapidly advancing and becoming more efficient and affordable, more and more homeowners are now able to transform their typical properties into a more convenient, more energy efficient, and most importantly, more comfortable dwellings.
Several statistics also show the ever-growing market for home automation solutions. According to Statista, by the end of 2018, the number of smart homes in the U.S. will reach 34.8 million – showing a significant annual growth rate of 28.4%.
Whether you are still planning to buy your first home automation technology or upgrading your home into a total smart house, here are some ways how smart home technology can make your life and the lives of your loved ones better in the long run.
1. Spend Less on Energy Cost
The first and perhaps the biggest advantage of turning your simple house into a smart home is that it helps you save a considerable amount of money from your utility bills.
With energy prices predicted to increase in the years ahead, investing in smart home systems and devices as early as now is the best long-term financial decision you can make as these solutions are more energy efficient. Smart lights, for instance, can be set to turn off automatically when they don’t detect movement, while smart thermostat can adjust to your daily home routines and temperature preferences.
With such advantages, you can experience significant savings on your heating and electricity bills within just months of installing those devices.
2. Control All Your Home Devices More Conveniently
Being able to control all your devices with just a touch on your smartphone or through a smart home hub is a considerable advantage that you cannot possibly ignore, especially if you are a digital person that likes everything done and organized in the most convenient way possible.
For example, if you don’t want to get out of bed yet on a chilly Sunday morning, you can just grab your phone to adjust the temperature for you. Or if you’re in a hurry to prepare the dinner, but you’re still in the grocery, you can remotely preheat your smart oven so that it’s ready when you get home. If you just arrived at the office and not sure if you turned off your music player, you can easily do so with very little effort at all.
3. Experience Peace of Mind Through Enhanced Security
As a homeowner, nothing concerns you more than ensuring the safety and security of your loved ones on your own property. With a smart home, you can implement new and advanced security and surveillance features – motion detectors, IP cameras, automated door locks – which you can also remotely access and control via your smartphone. You can also opt to receive immediate alerts when your doors and windows were forcibly opened.
4. Get the Best Out of Your Investments
Unlike traditional home systems and devices, smart home technologies will allow to fully take advantage of their capabilities without disrupting your daily routine.
For instance, smart kitchen appliances can help you cook meals perfectly by providing you with all the information and tips you need – from preparation to presentation – as you cook. A smart home theater and audio system can also suggest new content to you based on your past preferences and play them on the best settings possible depending on whether you just want to relax or you have a handful of guests to entertain.
5. Know When Your Loves Ones Are Home Already
Through a smart home, you can feel connected to your loved ones more than ever. This is because smart home technologies such as smart home security cameras and proximity detectors can allow you to monitor your children, pets, and anyone in your household in real time.
Not only that, but through these technologies, you can also receive alerts each time they go out and arrive from school or work, providing you a peace of mind that they have arrived home safely and securely.
6. Detect and Resolve Damages Before They Escalate Into Costly Problems
Damages such as water leaks, gas leaks, and electrical failure are not only costly to fix, but they could also present life safety risks to your family. Carbon monoxide poisoning, for instance, causes the death of around 400 people in the U.S. each year.
With smart home technologies such as smoke detectors, fire alarms, and moisture sensors, you will be able to get notified about life-threatening risks taking place around your house before they escalate into more serious catastrophes. As a result, you can resolve the issue or get the help of a professional to prevent the issue from worsening, even if you are away from home.
7. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
The power of home automation not only resides in security, convenience, and potential cost-savings. When fully maximized, a smart home can also help you be a better citizen of the earth and reduce your carbon footprint for the long haul.
For example, with a smart radiator valve and thermostat, you will be able to make sure that you are only heating your home when necessary. In doing so, you are not only saving money on utility cost but also conserving energy which could be used to other more important things.
8. Gain Insights to Improve Your Lifestyle
One of the biggest advantages of a smart home is that it provides the household with valuable data on how their systems and devices operate. The mobile app that allows you to control your smart home devices collects all relevant data – from energy consumption to your preferences and daily activities – and translate them into insights which you can use to evaluate your own daily habits and behaviors, allowing you to make adjustments to your lifestyle easily.
9. Easily Adapt to the Ever -Advancing Technology
At the end of the day, technology will always advance, and that means that eventually, you have to upgrade your old appliances. With a smart home, however, adopting and integrating new smart technologies will be seamless since most smart home hubs can accommodate both old and new devices with efficiency. Alike placing a smart trash can at your home will also help you improve your life.
From added convenience, improved security, and smarter lifestyle – a smart home can indeed improve our lives in so many levels. However, as this industry evolves and advances, we can be sure that more benefits will be added to this list soon.
