You don’t have to be a “Techy” to enjoy the benefits of smart home technology. You also don’t have to buy every smart home device on the market to increase energy intelligence in your household. Market-ready smart home products share a commonality with consumers beyond simplicity… basically, they offer data dashboards to homeowners so they can make their own choices.
From your electrical system to your plumbing, all the way through the ventilation processes of your heating and air systems, smart home capabilities have consolidated their programming to work within your own mobile device. Not only does this make being a homeowner more fun, but it also means now more than ever that you should never lose your phone. Ever 😉
Many products on the market utilize one of the three home-assistant interfaces known as Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. While Accurate can’t say which one is the preferred recommended assistant (you can do some investigating or research that fits with your preferences), we can tell you certain devices that work with these home buddies to push you right into smart home living.
The Systems of Home Technology
ELECTRICAL
Smart Plugs: These devices have voice activation, which prevents you from losing money to the vampires of the night. The so-called “Vampire Load” is when electronics or appliances can consume leaking electricity even though they are on standby.
Smart Bulbs: This upgrade can restrict the over-usage of lighting in your home. Lights, in general, are one of those electrical items we tend to forget about. You walk into the kitchen for a snack; you walk out fighting off hunger but you forgot about the light and your electric bill. With smart bulbs, you can be as meticulous about your snack time as you want while programming your preferences so you just need to focus on what you want to eat. Simply, they can be scheduled throughout the day so you don’t have to remember to turn lights off. Customizing your lighting schedule will initially save you money while giving you options to fit your own smart home preferences.
Energy Sensor: Investing in an energy sesnor device, like Smappee, can be useful for both your electrical system and your home’s ecosystem. Our technicians at Accurate can help you learn more and teach the ropes of this device. Smappee is a remote energy monitor, which goes for almost $299 on Amazon and installs right to your electrical panel. This smart home device monitors your power usage and can inform you where you need to cut back and what may be causing your energy bill to bulge. Now you can monitor your own power usage, keep track of technology tendencies and make sure the power company isn’t over-charging.
PLUMBING
Smart Toilet: When it comes to water usage, for larger families you might think showering and bathing could be the biggest use of water. However, flushing the toilet is the actual number one well-drainer by the data for every household. Your best option for conserving water is to invest in smart home plumbing technology and you can start with finding the right smart toilet for you. Smart toilets are environmentally friendly, save both water and power, and can make your bathroom fashionably splashy (minus the splashing). Smart toilets have a number of amenity functions from massages to battery-powered modes and even voice activation. Think how delightful your daily duty will be and remember, you’ll be saving money.
Smart Main Water Valve Device: Another area to infuse smart home products is your main water valve. When the unpredictable leaks spring up or there is excess water somewhere other than bath time, there are a number of smart home detectors that will act immediately to save you from a small flood. Water damage can be a serious cash-burner depending on the construction of your home, carpet, furniture and the rooms affected by leaking. Installing a smart device such as Flo ($499) or Guardian ($399) is like having a GFCI outlet for your pipes. You can monitor these devices through an app on your smartphone and they can prevent any further water flow by turning off your main water valve in an emergency.
Smart Garden Irrigation Systems: Beyond your kitchen and bathrooms, the smart home technology can also be buried within your yard – about 8 to 12 inches deep. Garden irrigation systems can be upgraded to your smartphone as well. For example, the Orbit B-Hyve device, which sets a timer for your hose and sprinkler system. Some LA County and Orange County laws prohibit certain water usage for property owners, but with this smart home technology, you can abide by the law, perfect your grass and save on annual water usage.
HEATING & AIR
Creating a smart home HVAC system doesn’t mean you have to replace your entire ductwork system or completely overhaul your air conditioning unit and heating system. Obviously, the more upgrades you make to create a smarter home will save you more money in the long run and create an environmentally cleaner atmosphere for your family but it’s not an overhaul that needs to be done all at once… unless you want to jump right into all the savings.
Smart Thermostat: The first place to start, depending on the type of your HVAC system, is your thermostat. Since your thermostat is the main brain to reaching the ultimate comfortable temperature, a smart thermostat can do wonders for your home. With a smart thermostat, you can program the temp based on time of day directly from your smartphone. It’s great to schedule different cycles at different times of the day or seasons. Smart home thermostats can also utilize smart automation, which sets different temperatures for different parts of your home or different rooms, saving you money anywhere and time it can.
Geo-fencing: This is a new tactic that is populating the market with homeowners. Think about being outside all day in the hot Southern California heat or working in a not-so-environmentally-friendly office. Geo-fencing is another mobile application that will track your distance from your home, triggering temperature monitoring. These settings can be completely customary, but in essence, you could program your home to cool itself when you are five miles away so it’s a perfect atmosphere when you walk in. When you leave, just the opposite, your home will trigger your HVAC system to power down or conform to a higher temperature to lessen the energy amount being burned when no one is home.
Smart HVAC System: Motion-activated HVAC systems are another area you could investigate when it comes to cooling or heating your home. Our technicians at Accurate have extensive knowledge in this industry and could help you find the best technology to fit your property’s needs. We’ve helped create smart homes all over Southern California. If you are thinking about upgrading to a smart HVAC system, there are systems now that can diagnose issues, prompt you with filter change schedules, and remind you about regular HVAC maintenance checkups. No matter how smart your home becomes, you will always want to utilize regular maintenance checkups because it enhances the longevity of your entire system and will increase your home’s value.
The Future is Now
Building a smart home for the future comes with many options. The products listed above are used for examples only of what options you have as a homeowner. We are not endorsing any products within this blog, however, we strongly encourage creating a smart home with the different types of technology available to you.
Our Accurate team can help you find the right smart technology for your home today. Give us a call.
