In some ways, homes have not changed in the last hundred or so years. Bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, and kitchens are all fairly standard, with a few added features available such as laundry rooms, mud rooms, dining rooms, dens, and offices. What is changing rapidly, however, is the incorporation of technology into homes. From refrigerators that can reorder groceries to sprinklers that won’t turn on if it just rained, here are 4 standard home features that are becoming technologically advanced.
Thermostats
While turning the temperature down just a few degrees can have a significant impact on energy costs, many people are loathe to turn the heat down or AC up too far when they are away because it takes so long to heat or cool when they return home. A smart thermostat will start cooling or heating your home a half hour to an hour before you arrive home so you can let your home get frigid or overheated while you are away and still walk into a nice, comfortably heated or cool home when you get back. If you end up coming back early, you can adjust the thermostat with your smartphone when you are on your way.
Doors and locks
From your front door to your garage door, smart home technology is making it easier than ever before to secure your home from intruders while granting access to those with a legitimate reason to be in your home. Garage doors, in particular, have been a traditionally vulnerable point in the security of any home, particularly when the garage door doesn’t face the street. With smart locks on all your doors, you can make sure your doors are firmly closed and locked, but grant access to relatives, guests, visitors or repairmen that have a legitimate reason for being in your home. While an old manual garage door may not be compatible with automation, a company like Georgia Garage Doors Inc. can easily help install an automatic door to work with your other smart home features.
Doorbell
Video doorbells will stream a live feed straight to your phone or mobile device whenever anyone is at the door. Many utilize motion activated sensors to start recording before someone even rings the bell, so you can see anyone lurking at your door, whether they ring the doorbell or not. This also gives you video evidence to turn over to police if someone at your front door is up to no good.
Smoke/ CO2 Detectors
Smoke detectors have long been protecting us in our sleep, but what happens when you aren’t home to hear the alarm? New smart technology will send an alert to your cell phone when high levels of smoke or CO2 are detected. When paired with smart door locks, you can call a neighbor to evacuate a pet if it’s safe to do so and even let the fire department in so they don’t have to break down the door.
With apps that manage all of your smart home hardware, it is becoming easier and more economical than ever before to have a smart home. With the ease of installation of many products, even apartment dwellers can now enjoy many of the benefits of smart home technology. Soon, you may not even have to purchase your own tech as it may be standard in many homes and apartments.
