Are you among the tens of millions of Americans who use smart home devices? Maybe it’s just one or two devices; maybe you have equipped your entire house with smart technology. Either way, what was your motivation for getting started?
The smart speaker has been an entry point for a lot of homeowners. They purchased smart speakers for the novelty. But once they learned all their speakers could do, many of these same homeowners started branching out with other devices.
According to CEDIA, smart home technology offers homeowners three primary benefits: energy efficiency, security, and convenience. Perhaps these are the very reasons you decided to dive in.
1. Energy Efficiency
The energy efficiency angle is easy to see by comparing modern smart thermostats with their first-generation programmable counterparts. Back when programmable thermostats were first introduced to the market, they were fairly complicated devices that required a certain mindset to program.
If you purchased a programmable thermostat and could not figure out how to set it up, you had wasted your money. It ended up being no different from the manual thermostat you replaced. Today’s smart thermostats are drastically different.
A typical smart thermostat is designed with an interface that is similar to a cell phone. If you are familiar with phones and apps, programming a smart thermostat should be a piece of cake. But that’s just the start. According to Vivint, the best smart thermostats of the 21st century have built-in artificial intelligence. They can learn your routine and then automatically adjust their own programming.
An optimized thermostat saves energy by ensuring that your home is only heated and cooled when necessary. Additional energy savings can be achieved through automated window blinds and smart lighting. How much you could actually save depends on the devices you utilized and how you programmed them.
2. Security
In the early days of home automation, home security was considered a distinct and separate entity. The line between the two has officially been eliminated. Vivint systems offer a perfect illustration. Vivint combines both automation and security equipment in a single package. All devices are controlled via the same hub or mobile app. Both types of devices are capable of interacting with each other.
A typical home automation system now includes at least one security camera. Most also include entry sensors for first-floor windows and doors. Moreover, smart lighting is not limited to saving energy. It can also be used as a security tool.
3. Convenience
Rounding out the list of motivations is convenience. I will be honest and say that convenience was my reason for getting started. I love the convenience of controlling lighting with my voice, for example.
I have automated key parts of my lighting system and tied them to my smart speakers. And with a smart speaker at either end of the house, I can turn lights on and off with my voice regardless of the room I happen to be in. I love this feature for navigating through my house at night. With automated lighting and voice commands, I never have to enter a dark room or navigate a dimly lit hallway.
The smart lock is another example of home automation convenience. Being able to unlock the door as you are pulling into the driveway is a lot more convenient than fumbling with your keys while you’re wrangling a couple of bags of groceries.
Are you on the smart home train yet? If not, what would motivate you to get started? Consider the benefits of energy efficiency, improved security, and modern convenience. All three are hard to beat.