How Does Smart Home Technology Work?
The home automation industry is expanding, and some smart home technologies are more accessible than ever! When designing your dream home, it’s essential to think about how to incorporate new technology to help reduce utility costs and time spent doing certain chores and tasks around the house. Here’s an overview of the available smart home technology and the ways to incorporate it into your new home.
The term smart home technology usually refers to the use of devices in the home connected through a network, typically a local area network (LAN). However, more and more devices are using wireless internet technology. Examples of existing smart home technology include:
- Wireless speaker systems.
- Thermostats
- Home security and monitoring systems
- Domestic robots
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Lighting
- Home energy use monitors
- Door locks
- Refrigerators
- Laundry machines
- Water detectors
Smart Thermostats
One of the most accessible and most beneficial smart home technologies to implement in your home is a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats have been around since 2007 with the introduction of the ecobee, a smart thermostat developed by ecobee company founder Stuart Lombard. Lombard developed the thermostat after realizing how unreliable and wasteful programmable thermostats were. The benefits of smart thermostats include:
Smart thermostats can help reduce energy usage and save money on utility bills.
- Energy-Saving. Smart thermostats allow homeowners to analyze their energy usage and adjust their heating and cooling settings to maximize savings on utility bills. As a result of that saved energy, smart thermostats end up being beneficial for the environment as well. Save money while saving the earth!
- Comfort. With the use of a smart thermostat, your family will be comfortable in the home every time of year. Some thermostats communicate with occupancy sensors so that it only heats or cools the areas of the house that need it.
- Ease. Smart thermostats learn the habits of the home’s occupants and take a lot of the work out of managing the home’s climate.
Home Security and Alarm Systems
Another easy way to implement smart home technology in your new house is to install a home security system that uses the internet and local area networks. Popular implementations include Google’s Nest Secure home alarm system and Ring‘s home security system. These apps incorporate video and motion sensor monitoring in a user-friendly interface so homeowners can keep track of what’s going on in the house while they’re away via an app on their smartphone.
Smart Lighting
Perhaps the easiest way to incorporate smart home technology in your house is through the lighting. Smart light switches and smart lightbulbs are easy to install and don’t cost much, making them an ideal way to start saving on utility bills. Smart light switches and bulbs are also removable, so renters can take them with them when they move. If you have a lot of lamps in your home, smart bulbs may be cost-prohibitive, but smart plugs and smart light switches can control multiple lights at once.
Smart Refrigerators
If you’re remodeling your kitchen or designing your dream kitchen, you may want to incorporate a smart refrigerator. Smart refrigerators contribute to better health by keeping its contents at the optimum temperature to prevent spoilage. Many models also include grocery list features along with expiration-date tracking. By using a smart refrigerator to take care of repetitive household tasks, that time is free to fill with other activities!
Smart Laundry Machines
Speaking of repetitive household tasks, consider purchasing smart laundry machines for your new home or remodel. Smart laundry machines help homeowners save money on both water and power bills. The most popular smart washer on the market is the Electrolux Perfect Steam front-load washer with features such as steam clean and sanitization settings along with smart load sensing and automatic water adjustment to save homeowners money on utility bills.
Smart Dishwashers
Did you know that washing a sinkful of dishes can use up to 27 gallons of water per load? Meanwhile, a new smart washer that is Energy Star-certified can use as little as three gallons of water per load. Smart dishwashers boast features such as rinse agent detection and delayed start times so that homeowners can focus their time and energy on other household tasks.
Home Energy Use Monitors
Another popular way to incorporate smart home technology is through a home energy consumption monitor. For example, the Sense Home Energy Monitor can be installed by a licensed electrician. It helps homeowners analyze and adjust their energy usage. The team that developed the Sense monitor developed speech recognition technology and brought it to the market. The Sense monitor lets homeowners know when and how they are using energy, and you can even use the app to tell when a kid gets home from school or how much energy your water heater is using.
Smart Speakers
Another common smart home technology is a smart home speaker. These speakers have been around for years, but are now becoming more and more integrated with other smart home technologies. For example, Google’s Nest Home Security System is compatible with smart home speakers such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. This interconnectivity makes controlling your smart home technology a breeze, instead of having to manage multiple systems through multiple apps.
How Can Star Builders, LLC Help You?
If you’re looking to build a new custom home in Salem, Oregon, look no further than Star Builders LLC. The talented team of contractors and support staff have decades of combined contracting experience. Star Builders LLC is a family-owned and operated business, and they are able to be involved in every step of the construction process from design-build to project closeout. No matter what you dream up, we can build it for you. Call today to get started on your dream home!