A smart home may be a foreign concept to many today, but in a few years, it could be just as common as smart phones. Automation is the key characteristic of smart homes. Technology allows us to experience convenience like never before in managing our homes. But like any big change, automation could be a little scary for some people who don’t know its advantages.
This is not just technology for the sake of technology. Automation is genuinely useful and provides compelling reasons for homeowners to consider.
Total control of your home
With automation, any device at home can be controlled at the push of a button – wherever you are in the world. It’s not uncommon for people to forget to turn off lights or appliances before leaving home. And this mistake has often proven costly for many.
However, this is no issue for a smart home that is connected to your phone, laptop, or computer. Simply switch off any appliance you’ve forgotten about using your device, and the problem is solved.
Convenience
Automated homes make it possible for things to happen automatically without having to do anything yourself. Actually, many households today already have automation in the form of schedule-controlled thermostats. With these, you program in your desired house temperature for daytime and nighttime.
Modern automation merely takes this a step up by providing more ease and coordination. For instance, instead of having to manually put in a schedule to change your home’s heating and cooling cycles, a smart home can use motion sensors to know if you are home or not. Based on this, the thermostat will respond accordingly and power up only when someone is home. The same works for programmed lights that will only turn on when the house detects you are within a certain range.
There’s so much convenience in not being limited to a specific schedule, and to have multiple devices work together with just one button control.
Automation can also be according to a specific activity. For example, some smart home devices can be activated to “watch a movie” mode, and this turns on the TV, switches to the correct input, and changes the living room lights to a preconfigured light level. All of this with just one button push.
Security
Security cameras have been around for quite some time. But tying those security cameras into home automation provides much better security. Motion sensors can have cameras automatically turned on or off. This is great for privacy and efficiency. If the house is empty, the security cameras turn on and record anything once motion is detected. If the owner comes home, the cameras then turn off automatically for privacy. At night, they can be programmed to turn back on to protect the house from intruders while you sleep.
The security cameras can even be tied to the lights so they automatically turn on and scare thieves away. As it is connected to your phone, you can also program it such that you are immediately sent a notification when the camera senses an intruder.
Decrease expenses and conserve energy
This is a big reason for many who choose to automate. Few things can motivate change as much as money, and smart homes really do save you a lot of money. Smart thermostat users have reported savings as high as 23% on heating and cooling bills.
All the previously mentioned features of automated homes, such as lights that turn off when not in use, and devices that can be turned off even from outside the house, contribute to decreasing your expenses on electricity. This of course also means that you are conserving energy, a definite plus for the environment!
Independence
Aging is an inevitable fact of life. We will not always have the health or vitality or range of motion that we have now. Automated homes help with various disabilities by making things so much easier to do around the house. Voice-automated technology allows you to turn the TV on and off, change channels, and adjust the volume without having to reach for it. The same goes for lights and smart window blinds.
Think of how much independence this affords the elderly and other people with motion difficulties like cerebral palsy. For such individuals and their families, automation can truly be life-changing.
