Get Smart About Smart Home Automation

How Smart is Your Home?

How much smart technology have you incorporated into your everyday life? Maybe you started simply, with a smart phone, but if you’re like a lot of us, you’ve moved onto other devices, like a voice assistant, a robot vacuum, smart televisions, or smart home security. Are you ready to take it to the next level? Smart home automation gives you more control than you may even realize. Let’s talk about how to upgrade to a smart home.

What is a Smart Home?

There are smart devices, but a smart home automates and connects all of your household appliances, typically through Wi-Fi. From the coffeepot to the refrigerator to the smart heating and cooling system, everything can be operated simply and conveniently, controlled remotely or programmed to fit your schedule. Using a hub, it’s possible to control several different smart appliances at once, coordinating them to work together. Maybe you would like your security lights to switch on when your porch camera spots some movement, or maybe you want to program your smart refrigerator to send your grocery list to your voice assistant. These things can be accomplished using a smart home hub.

What are the Benefits of Smart Home Automation?

With a smart home system, you can connect your appliances, remotely controlling them and automating certain tasks. It might seem like a passing trend, but smart home automation is here to stay. Some of the benefits of a smart home include:

• Smart homes give you a higher level of control. This is convenient, but when it comes to energy, it’s essential. Being able to control your energy use, with a smart HVAC system and remote control of your lights and window treatments, can help you manage your energy usage.
• With a smart home, you can have a better understanding of your energy use. You don’t just get control of your energy with things like smart heating and cooling systems, you gain insights into your energy usage. By noticing how you’re using your energy, you can become more mindful in your consumption. Smart devices aren’t always energy efficient, but they can be used to help you conserve energy.
• Smart home technology can help you find ways to save money. When you notice areas in which you are using more energy than is necessary, you can determine where you need to cut back in order to save some money. There are many smart home devices designed to help you save money. For instance, a smart sprinkler controller can delay irrigation if it’s raining so that you don’t waste water, and a smart home heating and cooling system can automatically adjust your home’s temperature as you come and go.

Getting Started with Smart Home Automation

You do not have to jump into smart home automation all at once. It could be something as simple as lamps on timers you can control from your phone or laptop, or a security camera that sends its feed to an app. You might want to go a little more complex, installing motion sensors that turn on your lights when you enter a room. You can set automated door locks to open when it’s time for the kids to be home from school, or controlled remotely so you can give someone access to your home when you’re not there. Smart home automation allows you to program your coffee pot to have hot coffee waiting for you when you wake up, schedule your dishwasher, laundry and vacuum to run, customize the temperature of your shower, and more. Whatever you decide to install, you will be able to update or change using your devices.

Smart Home Heating and Cooling

One particularly useful system in which to implement smart home technology is your HVAC system. The simplest way to do this is with a smart thermostat, which can learn your habits and tweak the temperature to fit with your lifestyle and schedule. Of course, you still have control of this process, and can both manually and remotely adjust the temperature, using an app. There are also smart vents, which monitor and control the flow of air to different parts of a house, depending on where it’s needed. As technology progresses, more smart HVAC features will become available, using sensors to let the homeowner know when a part is failing, or a filter needs to be changed.

Regular Maintenance is a Smart Move

Until technology reaches a point at which your smart heating and cooling system will alert you to maintenance issues and make necessary adjustments, your best bet is to have regular HVAC inspections. In the spring and fall, before the winter gets too hot or too cold, schedule a visit from a technician, who can check your system for possible problems, make needed repairs and adjustment, and offer you advice on how to optimize your system and increase its lifespan.

Steps to Take to Automate

Are you ready for your smart home? There are a few steps to take to make it a reality.

• Make sure your Wi-Fi can handle it. You may need to upgrade, to ensure that your Wi-Fi has the ability to handle all of the devices that will be using it to communicate. In some cases, you’ll need multiple routers.
• Do your homework. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the different options available to you, so that you can choose the ones that will work best for your home and your lifestyle.
• Know what you need before you shop. It might be easiest to start small and get broader, implementing a few smart home items at first and adding as you deem necessary. There’s no need to go overboard all at once, when smart home appliances can be costly.

Smart HVAC Technology from Barstow and Sons

Whether you need routine maintenance, you want to upgrade to a smart thermostat, or you need an entirely new HVAC system, contact Barstow and Sons for help. A full-service heating and cooling service company, we’ve been providing high-quality service to customers throughout Anne Arundel County, Severna Park, Pasadena, and Annapolis since 1980. We’ve built a reputation for our dedication to excellence, and we’re here for our customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call (410) 777-9148 to learn more or contact us through our website.