Why have a Smart Home?

 

New to smart home automation or looking to smarten your home that little bit more? Here at the Smart & Secure Centre we have everything you need to know about how to make your home smart and most importantly some of the benefits of doing so. At a glance, the elements of smart homes can seem complex which is why we have created a small guide, over a series of blog posts, to answer some of your questions.

 

What is a Smart Home?

A smart home is a home that’s equipped with smart devices to automate and control household systems such as thermostats,  lighting, TVs, audio systems, security cameras, intruder alarms,  blinds, awnings and many more.

 

Benefits of a Smart Home

 

• Better and Simpler Lifestyle Smart home automation allows you to create luxury in your home that wasn’t possible in the past. From specific lighting & heating to suit moods and times of day, to automatic devices controlling everything from curtains to your TV and Audio.
  For example, setting a “cinema mode” command to close curtains, lower lighting and to set your sound bar & TV to the correct settings by a single voice command is easily achieved. These possibilities are becoming more and more possible as consumer products are all becoming smarter.

 

• Increased energy efficiency – Depending on how you use your smart-home technology, it’s possible to make your space more energy-efficient. For example, you can have more precise control over the heating and cooling of your home with a programmable smart thermostats and individual smart radiator valves that learn your schedule, and temperature preferences,  then suggest the best energy efficient settings throughout the day.
  Automatic blinds and awnings keep heat out in the summer, saving on the need for air conditioners.

 

• Managing all of your home devices from one place ( or any place!) –  The convenience factor here is enormous. Being able to keep all of the technology in your home connected through one interface is a massive step forward for technology and home management. Turn on/off  deivces while out and about, check status of your home and get alerts if something changes, all from your phone.

 

• Increasing home security & safety – Allowing you to be more comfortable in your home with products that allow you to view who is in and outside your home with a range of security cameras and doorbells, which can be accessed from your smartphone. Smart smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and flood sensors will message your phone ask the first sign off trouble.
  Lighting can easily be set to mimic you being at home when you are not, adding a further deterrent to would be thieves.

 

• Convenience – Control your appliances in the home with the use of your smartphone or by your voice. Devices can be triggered as soon as you enter or leave a room. Blinds, awnings and lighting can be adjusted by sensing ambient light levels or even by the position of the sun in the sky. Windows can automatically be vented when the sun heats a room too much.

 

• Money saving – One of the main benefits of a smart home is that it helps to control and indicate how much energy and money you are using with easy access from your smartphone. This helps you identify when energy is wasted so changes can be made.

 

 

In our next posts we will have more on how to choose products for your smart home, the basics on how they work and what benefits each have. If you can’t wait to get the answers you need Contact us or call us on 01384 900 262. We are happy to help with every question big or small..