What are the new smart homes?
By Catalogs Editorial Staff
New smart homes: the wave of the future in housing design and technology
According to a 2009 article in the New York Times, new smart homes aren’t exactly catching on. Why is that? Think of tasks in a normal day: watering the yard, turning off the lights before heading out, setting security protocols before bed, etc. With an intelligent, all-encompassing automation of your home, these things can be integrated into one easy-to-use device.With technology increasing on a daily basis and the desire of many to save both energy and money, it seems like the time is coming for a boon to this automated housing industry. Many more people today are interested in saving money on heating/air conditioning, appliances, lighting, irrigation, and more.
In essence, with an automated residence, you hand over the reigns to your system: it will regulate the use of lights, entertainment components (like Blu-ray, HDTV, and gaming systems), irrigation and watering systems, water heater, HVAC system, and appliances.~
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And in doing so, it will save you time, effort, and money, while keeping energy usage low and imparting the inner workings of your home onto one easy-to-use device. As more and more people become cognizant of the issues facing our environment along with growing energy concerns, automated houses offer occupants a way to go “green” and make a difference in our world.
Let’s take a look below at some of the amenities provided by an automated system for your home and yard.
Security
Whereas most residences only possess a smoke alarm to wake you in case of emergency, these intelligent units will wake you up, shut down the gas and ventilation system, phone the fire department in the interim, and light your way out of danger.
As well, you can see your home from anywhere in the world. The system will call your number if anything is out of sorts. For better peace of mind, these tech-based additions to your home security can make all the difference in the world.
Entertainment
While not as important as your safety, entertainment does have a purpose. You can regulate your home theatre system and other entertainment components of your house and save energy in the process when they’re not being used. With caller ID devices, intercoms at the ready, and door answering systems, you’ll be equipped for any (and all) eventualities.
Lighting Control
All of these aforementioned items can be controlled from any room in the home; in addition, using the internet or phone, a user can control them remotely from anywhere in the world. You can turn your lights on from a block away, either automatically or pre-programmed. Wall switches, timer switches, and motion sensors can be used to great effect in this automated system.
Climate/Thermostat
Another cool addition to the smart home repertoire is that many systems will calculate and log the user’s usage through all their connected devices. That way, if you’re not using an aspect of your home enough (or too much), you can adjust on the energy output. By regulating usage, you are saving on monthly energy bills, and in the process, only using power when it’s needed. Talk about going green, huh?
These features help us — and our world — to get a little bit greener in the process by saving time, energy, and money on items we may only need to use sparingly. This goes for lighting, thermostat, HVAC, irrigation, entertainment, and so much more.
In the end, by installing automated systems in our new smart homes, we become aware of the actual amount of energy we are using on a daily basis. And in doing so, we not only cut down on emissions and energy consumption, but we’ll save ourselves time and money in the process.
Resources:
Home Controls: Why Automate Your Home.
New York Times: Smart Homes Haven’t Caught On.
Above photo attributed to Herkie
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