our opinions: ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT
In The
Comfort
Zone
Are You Ready For A Smart Home?
Brett Hobson
BY BRETT HOBSON
H
92
ome automation and smart home technology
is all the buzz at both home electronics shows
and our local electronics stores. So what exactly is a
smart home and how could this technology benefit
your family?
What is a smart home? It is simply a home that is
equipped with lights, heating and AC, locks, appli-
ances, cameras, or other electronic devices that can
be controlled remotely or programmed to your exact
needs or wants. Anything that can be plugged in
can be connected to a network and be controlled
with your voice, a remote control, a smartphone or a
computer with the right equipment installed.
According to realty company Coldwell Banker,
nearly one-third of Americans own at least one
smart-home product, with half of Millennials (ages
18-34) having embraced the technology. Smart
homes can control functions like temperature, light-
ing, security, safety or entertainment. You can imag-
ine how attractive it would be to return home after a
long day at work or even a trip, have the air condi-
tioning on, the house cool, the lights on and dinner
bubbling on the stove. Well, that last one is probably
sometime in the future, but the others are available
today.
While only a third of Americans own smart home
devices, technology giants are betting on you want-
ing a smart home in the future and are designing
their products to connect to your home’s Wi-Fi, just
like your computers and printers do today. But why
would you want it to? The biggest reason is savings;
some companies are considering discounting rates
on items like home insurance for consumers who
have connected smoke detectors, flood detectors
and security systems in place. There is also the
energy savings that comes from devices that can
turn themselves off, or to a low power mode when
they are not in use. Plus, a smart home could save
lives. Carbon monoxide detectors could send signals
to your phone, computer or tablet when dangerous
levels of CO2 are present, or elderly homeowners
could be monitored by doctors or family members
offsite, keeping them in their own homes and safe
without moving them to a nursing facility.
We are getting more calls to retrofit current
systems with smart thermostats; however, many
customers who are replacing their systems are asking
for this technology upgrade. While they are like the
programmable thermostats that have been available
for several years now, smart thermostats take it one
step further and allow homeowners to control the
air-conditioning and heating systems in their homes
from offsite. They also keep data on your system,
such as the length of time your system has been
running, what the internal and external temperatures
were, letting you know when it’s time to change
your air filter. They have names like Nest or Hive
and display the saved information on an Internet-
connected device.
For now, we recommend embracing the coming
technology slowly. If you want to be able to control
your home, as you replace devices, think about
smart options. It’s the wave of the future and it’s nice
to think we’re getting ever closer to living like The
Jetsons.