Innovations in smart-home technology have made it possible for consumers to make modifications to their existing homes to increase efficiency and comfort while also enhancing value and improving marketability when the time eventually comes to sell.
Some of today’s high-demand devices in smart-home include:
Thermostats: Among the most popular and arguably the most effective at improving energy efficiency, smart thermostats can learn the temperature preferences of the homeowner and auto-adjust to his or her schedule.
Security systems: The price points and options are seemingly endless, but highlights typically include remote (mobile) access and control to security camera footage and auto-locking doors.
Light bulbs: Certain energy-efficient light bulbs can keep shining when the power goes out, illuminate or dim at desired times or at the sound of a doorbell, and sync with smartphones so the lights can turn on when you’re not home.
Doorbells: These come in various designs and colors, but most offer high-definition footage of live and/or recorded video whenever someone presses the bell, or on demand if the owner wants to see if someone is at the door.
Window shades: Control them from your phone, schedule them to open and close at specific times, and/or simply tell them what to do using the voice activation feature that many models offer.
Hubs: Just by the sound of your voice, you can control multiple smart-home devices interconnected through a central hub. Most of the big manufactures offer hubs for their various products, but products from different makers can’t always integrate easily with each other, if at all.
It’s important to determine early one what your home automation needs are and identify which products offer the most compatibility.
So this year, break away from your normal gift-giving routine and consider investing in a gift for the home that everyone can enjoy. A gift that makes your home “smarter” is one that keeps giving all year long.
To learn more about the latest techniques in home automation, contact the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga at www.HBAGC.net.