Technology is disrupting every facet of our lives. Uber and semi-autonomous cars can move you from point A to B. You can order coffee or food using a dial-a-delivery service to get your fill. You can also book your flights or doctor all from your smartphone. Or even work remotely.
Similar technology-driven convenience is coming into your home. Home automation is reinventing the comfort and functionality of a house. How? The answer is with the use of smart devices.
A smart home contains a collection of smart devices. Smart devices are intelligent devices and appliances that perform daily tasks. Their goal is to provide a better experience within the household. The best part is that these devices are controlled with just a click of a button or a series of voice commands.
Smart devices and appliances form a network system that checks and controls home attributes. The network system controls home aspects like climate, entertainment, appliances, and lighting. It can also handle access control and alarm systems.
With smart devices, you can also control your door locks, lights, refrigerator, and more all from a single point. It does not matter whether the command is from a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. As long as the device you will use is recognized by the devices, then you have nothing to worry about.
Smart homes are enjoying a wide adoption rate. In fact, smart homes are expected to reach the 350 million mark by 2023. Are you planning to be one of these households?
If you plan on investing in a smart home, then let’s discuss some of the advantages it brings to the table.
1. Saves Energy and Water
Households waste 180 gallons of water weekly from house leaks. That is relative to 300 loads of laundry water annually. It will translate to high water and energy bills that you can easily avoid just by investing in smart devices.
A smart home uses energy-efficient devices and appliances. It can also detect and report leaks for fast repair, saving you some bucks in the long run.
Moreover, your bathroom uses 30% of your home water consumption. The toilet alone consumes a significant amount of water. Similarly, bathtubs use more water than low-flow showerheads. Just imagine how much of these are going to waste.
To prevent unnecessary water consumption, you can opt for intelligent faucets on your sinks and clawfoot bathtubs. Such devices can detect leaks and reduce water wastage. With this, you don’t have to worry about excessive water waste as you enjoy your relaxing dip in the tub.
Our homes have several appliances, and they depend on energy. And smart home devices can detect and activate themselves only when necessary. Hence, they will save your energy and water use.
You can save more on your utility bills with better energy and water usage. As mentioned above, smart home devices drive energy and water efficiency. It then will transfer the efficiency gains to cost gains easily. Hence, it can save you some bucks in the long run.
For example, the unfortunate Texas winter storms left people paying 70x in energy bills. A smart home can partially help reduce exposure to energy price fluctuation. It will help you reduce energy wastage, saving you from digging deeper to pay your utility bills.
3. Improves Convenience
One of the main reasons for working hard in life is to ensure we provide ourselves and our loved ones with comfort. You can now indulge your home and everyone in it with the added convenience.
Switching your lights and controlling window curtains using voice commands isn’t laziness. Think of it as a reward for your hard work. With smart devices, you can adjust the smart lights to create a mellow mood. It also improves the ambiance to enjoy your favorite show without lifting a finger to the wall switch.
If you’re away and it’s late, it allows you to draw your curtains just by using your phone. You can have complete visibility of your home while away.
A smart home has a lot more to offer. You can also know which food in the refrigerator should be used before the expiry date. Also, it will give 360 degrees view of security in your home. Hence, smart homes strive to offer an exemplary comfort life as possible.
4. Help Solves Some Daily Problems
Robots are slowly undertaking mundane, repetitive chores like floor cleaning. And yes, robots are already in several homes. In fact, statistics showed that there will be over 54 million household robotic units by 2022. So, most mundane activities do not need to break your backs.
Smart home devices can also be helpful to people with disabilities. For example, amputees, blind people, etc., can use voice commands to perform tasks. Alternatively, those with a speaking disability can just click buttons to control the devices.
Hence, a smart home will help overcome daily challenges in the house.
5. Reinforcing Safety and Security of Your Property
Integrating security and home surveillance features increase your home’s security and your family’s safety. You can add several security devices to your home like:
Smart doorbells with video.
Smart locks
Smart CCTV system
Intelligent motion and smoke detectors
These security devices monitor your home and send alerts to your phone if there’s a potential danger. For example, security cameras use infrared waves to detect motion. Your smart home will then notify you that it sensed a movement. You can also easily check what your security cameras see and verify.
6. Increases Your Property Value
The benefits of home automation increase your home value. For example, having intelligent thermostats and other energy-efficient intelligent devices saves energy. Also, its enhanced security and unrivaled comfort can increase your property value by 7%.
If you are doing home automation to increase home value, the rule of thumb is to keep expenditure below 5%-10%.
Disadvantages of Smart Home Investments
Having a smart home isn’t always fun. There are also disadvantages to it. But what are they?
It is costly to install and maintain. It can cost $2000 to $7000 to build a smart home network. Besides, maintenance needs specialized professionals, unlike other home fixtures that a handyperson can handle cheaply. Hence, original installation and maintenance can be costly.
It is only viable in places with reliable internet connections. You can only enjoy a smart home with maximum performance and convenience where there is reliable internet. So, remote areas with no or interrupted internet connection may face limitations.
Take Away
Smart homes are gaining popularity. The popularity of home automation is due to its efficiency, cost, and convenience.
As a result, many people actively invest in them to enjoy their benefits. But, they are limited only to places with reliable internet connections. Besides, they may be costly to install and maintain.
In deciding whether or not to get a smart home, you should consider your lifestyle as well. Will its benefits outweigh the cons for you? Let us know what you think!
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