For decades, science fiction has focused on smart houses and home automation. Ray Bradbury’s 1950 novel “There Will Come Soft Rains” portrays the story of a clever home that maintains it’s daily routine long after its owners have died. It wasn’t until later that we have the capability to fully build the type of automated house that Bradbury and others imagined so long ago. Experts expect that smart home automation will grow in popularity over the next decade. Why are smart homes becoming so popular, and what can you do in the interim to make your house a bit more intelligent?
Renovations Are Increasing
More than ever before, Americans are refurbishing their houses. The motivations for renovating might vary; some homeowners want to make their house more comfortable, while others want to make their property more ecologically friendly. Regardless of the cause, homeowners spent a total of $340 billion on home upgrades in 2018.
Smart home automation is becoming more popular as an addition to these projects since it may conserve energy, lower utility bills, and make your house more pleasant and handy. More than half of remodeling homeowners have at least one smart gadget in their freshly refurbished house, and one in every ten has at least five tools.
Why are these clever renovations gaining popularity? Simply said, they make our lives simpler – but there’s a lot more to it.
Why Do We Require Smart Homes?
What is the purpose of smart home automation? There are nearly too many reasons to mention, so we’ll simply highlight the most important ones.
Security
Thieves and robbers are becoming smarter, which means we must improve our home security. Networked security cameras may immediately upload the video to the cloud, which you can view from your smartphone. Smart storage lockers may prevent burglars from stealing your most recent Amazon buy. Garage door openers with Wi-Fi capabilities may send you an alert when the door is opened and allow you to open or shut it remotely. When it comes to smart security, the options are limitless.
Convenience
Smart thermostats do not need any setup. When no one is home, they automatically change the temperature, saving you money but preventing you from returning home to a warm house. With a voice command, Alexa or Google Home may order items for you and provide access to all of the information available on the internet. Smart refrigerators can notify you when your food is going to deteriorate or when you are running low on supplies. Smart ovens can adjust the temperature, turn off when your meal is done, and give you a notification when it is time to eat supper. The majority of these gadgets are intended to make your life simpler.
Health
For patients with chronic or terminal illnesses, IoT-enabled houses may allow them to live more autonomously by giving real-time vital statistics and behavioral data to their clinicians. Wearables can monitor heart rate, pulse oximetry, galvanic skin reaction, and other parameters, while smart pillboxes and motion sensors may notify users if they haven’t taken their medicine or moved enough. Remote patient monitoring might also benefit caregivers caring for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Sustainability is one of the most important reasons to create a smart house. LED lights can Wi-Fi enabled, using less electricity while allowing the user to customize the illumination. Smart power strips prevent power ghosts from raising your electricity costs by turning off inactive devices. Thermostats may automatically regulate the temperature based on the outside temperature and weather conditions, as well as cut off or reduce the A/C or heat if no one is home for an extended period of time. They even create smart toilets that may help you save water.
A smart home’s objective is to make your life simpler, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also make the environment safer and more sustainable.
Building a Low-Cost Smart Home
Even if you aren’t planning on redesigning your house anytime soon, you can begin installing smart gadgets to enhance your quality of life – and you don’t have to spend a fortune doing so.
Begin with a smart hub. This will connect all of your smart gadgets and allow you to personalize them based on your preferences.
You can replace your existing lights with smart alternatives without breaking the bank, and the money you’ll save on your monthly electricity bill will astound you. The same is true with smart thermostats, which can be connected to any conventional A/C equipment, and begin saving money by lowering your electricity expenses.
Even if you’re not at home, video doorbells let you know who’s at the door, and smart locks eliminate the need for keys by allowing you to open the door with your cell phone in your pocket.
All of them can installed without making big adjustments to your house.
The Future of Home Automation
With home automation in Kansas City, any current house can be converted into a smart home, and it seems that this technology will continue to advance in the next years as it becomes more widespread. We’re a long way off from Bradbury’s smart home that does everything from cook breakfast to lighting your cigar, but the potential is there.
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