A surging trend in home building and remodeling is the technologically-advanced or automated home. Automated homes allow homeowners to control various features of the home when absent or busy. Home automation will only develop further, so it would be wise to catch on to the trend early.
Themes
Energy Management
New trends in home automation give users the ability to monitor their environmental impact even when away from home. The heating, cooling and electrical systems within the home can be controlled or enhanced with home automation. In addition to reducing the environmental impact, the improvements brought by automation technology assist in saving money on energy bills. Systems such as Iris Comfort and Control allow homeowners to adjust lights, heat and more from a smartphone, computer or tablet.
Kitchen Automation
The kitchen is one of the fastest growing areas for home automation as it is one of the busiest rooms in the home. Companies have already promoted the hands-free faucet that operates via motion sensors. This small change eliminates the problem of transmitting bacteria and debris from food to the faucet when attempting to turn it on. Other technologies allow ovens to sense how to heat the food inside so that each area is cooked evenly, eliminating the need to turn pans and dishes, as well as refrigerators that cool foods rapidly for food safety.
Automated Security Systems
Automated security systems are also some of the fastest-growing in home technology. Companies like Vivint offer industry-leading home security systems that give users the ability to receive mobile alerts when an alarm is sounded in addition to the ability to check in with or alert law enforcement. When a visitor arrives or a child makes it home safely from school or other activity, the system can send alerts or video.
Appliances
Nest Programmable Intelligent Thermostat
Nest is one of the most anticipated components of common home automation. The smart thermostat can be programmed to correlate with its owner's usage patterns, and it learns the homeowner's schedule over time, automatically changing its settings to match. The Nest can be controlled by smartphone when not home to prevent excess heating or air conditioning usage. This self-programming allows for savings of up to 20 percent on standard heating and cooling costs.
LG SmartThinQ Washer
The SmartThinQ system from LG has the ability to assess local power consumption in order to monitor when energy rates are the lowest in the area. The system works with both a washer and dryer, with cycles able to be preset or changed via smart phone. New wash cycles can even be downloaded into the system, and the washer can also function well with cold water cycles.
August Smart Lock
The August Smart Lock is a digital home locking system that allows residents to secure the home while away. The keyless lock is controlled by smartphone, allowing users to unlock the door for visitors even while way in addition to checking the status of the device to ensure doors were locked before leaving. The August Lock system keeps a record of all users that have entered and left. This technology allows constant access for necessary users or scheduled access for routine visitors such as nannies, maids, assistants or other hired help.
Tub-E Electronic Bathtub
The high tech tub features options for automatically filling, emptying or cleaning the tub allowing users to complete other tasks while the tub does its own work. It works with one-touch programming and can accommodate different bathing styles by varying the temperature or adding bath oils.
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