As technology begins to develop, its place in our lives becomes more established. Even our homes are becoming technology-based. According to recent research, 38 million homes will have a smart home system by 2015.
Many homeowners make the mistake that smart technology is a luxury option, meant to increase convenience. While it does increase common comforts, and makes a person feel like they’re at the elite edge of technological innovation, smart home technology can be a long-term money saver.
With so many options out there, it can be confusing to understand exactly what each type offers, and which option is best for your lifestyle. Luck for you, we’ve done the hard part for you:
- Smart locks – Smart locks can be controlled remotely, which means that you can lock or unlock your doors while you are away from home. The Goji Smart Lock is a model that offers virtual keys that you can give to friends and family that have expiration dates on them for a limited use. Smart locks are excellent for improving your home’s security and helping to reduce the chances of being robbed.
- Smart thermostats – Constantly changing the temperature on your thermostat tends to waste money, as does running the heat or cool air when you are away from home. With summer practically here, ways to save on energy costs is a priority for every homeowner. Smart thermostats, such as the Nest and Honeywell’s Wi-Fi Smart thermostat, are programmable and Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats that can lean your preferences and keep track of your temperature habits. Programmable thermostats give you the option to set your desired temperature over the course of an entire week. This means that it can automatically turn your thermostat down when no one is home. A smart thermostat will help you save a substantial amount of energy, resulting in lower energy bills.
Smart sprinkling system – Traditional sprinkling systems are set to automatically go off at certain times during the day or week, which can end up being a huge waste of water if you forget to turn them off during a day in which it is raining. The Skydrop is a device that uses Wi-Fi in order to integrate real time weather information and to use that information to adjust the watering needs of your lawn, thereby cutting down on your water usage and water bills.
- Smart light bulbs – Your light bulbs no longer have to have just one function. Smart light bulbs, such as the Lumen TL800 Smart Bulb, can be programmed to flash when your phone is ringing, can be set to different atmospheric modes. Not to mention that you can control these bulbs through your phone, which means that you’ll never have to worry about whether you turned all the lights off before you leave home again, thereby helping to reduce your energy usage and your energy bills.
- Total home control – There are home automation services out there such as Z-Wave, which allows you to control every aspect of your home technology from one device. Basically, you’ll be able to control all of your locks, lights, thermostats and more from a single device, such as your tablet, computer or phone. The Z-Wave service even allows you to shut everything down at once when you are away. According to the company, there are over a 1,000 electronic products that are now compatible with the Z-Wave service.
These are just a few of the smart home technology that you could implement into your home design in order to save money.