7 Ways the Advantages of Home Automation Are Changing People’s Lives
The Internet of Things is large and growing larger year by year. 2018 saw the number of connected devices surpass 23 billion.
In case you’ve not heard of the Internet of Things, it comprises all of the devices we connect to via the internet.
This is due, in large part, to the increasing prevalence of home automation technology. Known as smart homes, these houses utilize devices, systems, and appliances that are connected to a common network to allow central and remote control.
Automated homes, smart homes, connected homes…all of these names mean the same thing, and there are advantages of home automation. We’ve put together this list of the top 7 advantages, so if you’re on the fence of whether or not to automate your home, you’ll want to keep reading.
7 Advantages Of Home Automation
You might be wondering why home automation is needed. Can’t homes function without being connected?
The truth is, yes, they can. However, they function better when they’re connected. To check out some of the home automation technology options available, view here.
Below, we’ll share with you the advantages of a smart home.
1. Home Security
Security is the most popular reason people convert their home to a smart home. Home automation can provide unparalleled peace of mind with:
- Motion detectors
- Automated door locks
- Surveillance cameras
These technologies allow you to monitor your home from anywhere in the world, in real time. You can also customize an app to send you security alerts.
You can even use some technologies to interact with people on your doorstep from your mobile phone. Smart homes can give you peace of mind whether you’re away at work all day, on vacation, or sitting on your couch.
If home security is important to you, you’ll prize this advantage of home automation.
2. Remote Control
We mentioned in the security section above the mobility of home automation, but we want to discuss it in more depth because it can offer even more than the ability to see when someone’s at your front door.
Having a heat wave? Cool your home down before you arrive home with remote thermostat control.
Planning to prepare a feast? Get your oven preheating before you leave the grocery store.
Did you leave the lights on in the dining room or television on in the den? With remote controlled home technology, you can turn them off without doubling back.
You can control your appliances and your home from afar when you have a connected home.
3. Convenience
When home stereos started being made with multiple counterparts like radio and tape players and CD players, it was a huge convenience for the avid music enthusiast. Then came the multi-CD changer, which turned out to be a game changer both in the home and on the go.
We are creatures of convenience, and our home shouldn’t be any different. With home automation, you can access all of your home’s appliances and devices from one central app.
Not only does this make managing your smart home fast and easy, but it’s fast and easy to learn, too. Even if you consider yourself technologically challenged, the convenience of a smart home makes it possible for you to enjoy this and the other advantages on this list.
4. Appliance Functionality
When you have smart technology in your home, you can get more out of your appliances. For example, if you own a smart TV, it can help you efficiently find programs you’re most likely to enjoy.
If your kitchen has smart technology, it can help you cook more efficiently and more safely. Take chicken for example; you don’t want to undercook it and risk illness, but nor do you want to overcook it and risk drying out the meat.
Smart technology in the home can make your home an easier and more enjoyable place to live.
5. Increased Efficiency
Climate change is real, folks. And our homes don’t have to consume as much energy as they used to.
Energy Star ratings helped us make our homes more efficient by showing consumers the energy consumption of new appliances and how much they’d cost to operate over the course of a year. Now that Energy Star is the standard, it’s time to surpass it.
Smart appliances and smart home technology can help make your home even more efficient by allowing you to control from one app your home’s energy consumption. You can save the planet and your bank account by:
- Programming your thermostat
- Using lights that automatically turn off if you leave the room
- Installing motorized shades on your windows
These are only a handful of examples of how you can make your home more efficient.
6. Insights
While we’re moving on from energy efficiency, we’d like to point out that a smart home can provide you with insights regarding your energy usage. These insights can point out where you’re consuming the most energy, so you can make adaptations to lower your bills and help the world around you.
Insights into how you use your home can show you more than energy consumption, too. You can see how much television you or your family watches, for example.
You can see what kinds of foods you cook most often, and what’s in your refrigerator.
Home insights can help you live better, but it’s only possible with a smart home.
7. Future Flexibility
Once your home is automated, it’s easier to introduce new smart technologies. Home automation technologies, like most technologies, are only going to improve.
They’ll get more efficient, more programmable, and incorporate more artificial intelligence to meet your unique needs.
Automating your house will make it easier to stay ahead of the curve when new advancements are made available.
Final Thoughts
How you automate your home is up to you. It seems like every week there’re new technologies on the market to help you enjoy these advantages of home automation.
To stay up to date, and to make the most out of your home, check out our collection of articles about the house and home. We’d love to help you make your home as great as it can be.