7 of the Biggest Benefits to Owning a Smart Home

Most smart thermostats will allow you to control your home’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning remotely and can show you energy consumption in real time. Why have the air conditioning or heat running all day when you’re not home? With a smart thermostat, you can program it to switch off when you the leave the house, and set it remotely to come back on shortly before you walk through the door. You’ll save on energy costs, and you’ll walk into a home that’s set at the perfect temperature.

Smart appliances are state-of-the-art and can be connected to your smartphone or tablet. They are energy efficient which saves you money and helps the environment. Many are connected to the manufacturer and have a diagnostic feature, so when something goes wrong, the diagnostic feature can tell the technician what the problem is before they arrive at your home. I have a fridge that can even be programmed to make me coffee before I wake up, but that’s just the beginning. I get alerts if the temperature in my fridge is too high or even when the water filter needs to be replaced. Now that’s smart!

Busy family schedules often means spending more time away from home, but with a smart security system, you can stay connected. With the latest advancements, homeowners can now access security features remotely using a smartphone. I wish I had this when my kids were growing up so I could see when they arrive home from school. My son uses his to check what his dog is up to. Receive text messages or email alerts when there’s activity around your home and see who’s at your door.

Home lighting has come a long way. Automated lighting used to mean setting a timer to have your lights come on and off at the same time every day. But if the lights always come on at 7PM and turn off at 11PM, it doesn’t take long to figure out no one is home. With advancements in technology, homeowners can now remotely switch up the time the lights go on and off, making it seem like someone is home. Lights can also be programmed to turn on when you enter a room, saving on energy costs. Some lighting systems are so smart they automatically adjust for daylight savings time!

How many times have you left your house and wondered if you remembered to lock the door? Or how often do you lose your keys? Smart locks are making keys obsolete by offering the convenience and control of locking and unlocking the door with your smartphone. So you know your kids are on their way home from school but you’re stuck at the office – you can unlock the door remotely so they can gain access, and lock it remotely to prevent them from opening the door to strangers. And if you forget to lock the door after you leave the house, the smart lock will lock the door 30 seconds after you exit.

Using solar energy to power your home is smart because the sun’s energy is free, clean, safe and renewable. Going solar is not cheap but if you look at the big picture, you’ll save money on your monthly output of electricity for years. My garage, one of the projects my son worked on, is completely off-the-grid and the best feature has to be the solar-powered skylights. Another feature I love is my acoustical rain sensor that detects the sound of rain on the pad and will then automatically close the skylight.

A home control hub will connect all your smart home gadgets, giving you a centralized method of controlling them all. One app can act as a universal remote for optimal functionality. I recently got a Smart Home Controller, and now I can control things like lighting, heating or security systems from anywhere. Users are also provided with a report detailing important information on interior and exterior temperatures. This is especially helpful when travelling – you can adjust temperatures accordingly, which will help save on your energy bills.