How would you respond if someone were to ask you, “What is a smart home?”
According to today’s standards, that is a very loaded question, isn’t it? What if your home knew if you were present or if you were away? Does this qualify as smart? If so, what if once it was determined whether you are home or not, it knew what to do based off the answer. Now how cool would that be? Very, right?
Today, I want you to think of it in these terms: It is possible.
How Can You Have a Smart Home?
The reality is that all of what I mentioned above can be accomplished quite easily and affordably these days. And, quite easily, with minimal input from the homeowner. Consider it this way:
With most people carrying a smart phone with GPS, it is quite simple to determine approximate location of the one carrying it. This is almost all that is needed to determine whether you are home.
The next question is … What would you like to have happen at home while you are away? Maybe adjust the thermostat or remind you that the garage door is still open (and give you the option to close it). Ensure that all those lights that usually get left on all day are turned off. Perhaps you forgot to arm your security system. (Oh!)
Many of these issues are simply resolved with a smart home. Some of them do not even require human interaction (of course when set up properly), others only require a single button push.
But a Smart Home Can be So Much More
So, at this point, we have resolved your lights, garage door, thermostat, and intrusion detection. Now, how would you feel if your home could notify you of a problem?
Generally, homeowners discover a little drip under the bathroom sink and think, “How hard can it be to fix that?” So, they run to the hardware store and speak to the professional plumber on staff. They turn toward home with all the recommended pieces and parts and go to work. It feels great when they are done.
Sure, the leak appears to be fixed, but what if it really wasn’t? Imagine the feeling of relief if a smart home not only tells you that there is still a water leak, but also turns the water off to prevent massive damage? And, at the same time, sends a friendly reminder to you of all the work that took place while you were away. Perhaps relief isn’t a big enough word – perhaps liberation is closer to the real feeling, with a little security rolled in, too.
But Wait, a Smart Home is More
It’s great to know that your smart home is under control with everything in its place and under control. What if you wanted to know how much energy is being used, or saved, in your home?
A truly smart home can tell you what you want to know. It can give you monthly reports of energy usage and, in a way, give itself a nice pat on the back. You went through all the trouble to put in place all the pieces, now you can see how your smart home can pay you back – in real dollars and cents!
As a result of the technology today, you can easily receive as much, or as little, information about your smart home as you wish. Not only can you choose how much information you receive, you can determine the time of day or night you receive it.
You Can Make Your Home a Smart Home
A smart home is not a myth. It is not complicated nor is terribly expensive. And, as a point of interest, it does not require constant maintenance and upgrades. Yes, there will be updates, but compared to some of the latest smart phones, you will barely notice.
Come back to visit my blog because moving forward, I will drill down into each element of your smart home and review the many benefits. However, not everyone can wait for that information to come out. If that is you, and you want more information sooner rather than later, contact me.
The best way to figure it out is to start bouncing ideas around about what you would like to see happen in your abode. This can certainly be a lot of fun! Not to mention helping to keep your home safe, secure, and cozy – just the way you want it!
Mike