Seeking out smart homes have become increasingly popular among home buyers. Smart homes typically have systems including security, heating, and lighting that are centrally managed from a smart hub. These technologies connect through Wi-Fi and they enable homeowners to control a lot of aspects of their home from a central interface or even their smartphones and tablets. This helps to save them from having to go through their home to turn on lights, change the temperature, and more. A lot of them even offer remote access which means you can manipulate them without even being on the same network.
A lot of systems can be made to be “smart.” Creating a smart home requires you to invest in different connected systems and set them up to communicate with one another. A smart home will typically have features including:
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Smart Lighting
This is usually one of the first smart devices a lot of homeowners look to integrate into their homes. Smart lighting can be very convenient. With smart lighting, you can operate your lights from anywhere. You’ll be able to turn them “on” or “off” from anywhere as long as you have an Internet connection. You can even use voice assistant features to manipulate your lighting while laying in bed.
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Smart Thermostat
This is another feature a lot of homeowners add. These systems can be very valuable. They allow the homeowner to effectively control their thermostat remotely. This can help them optimize their heating and cooling so they aren’t wasting energy when they don’t have to. This allows them to turn “on” the AC when they are on their way home from work and to have it automatically shut off while they are at work. You can even schedule times when it turns on or you can have the system learn your behaviors and do it automatically using A.I.
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Smart Speakers
This is another popular feature smart homes typically have. A smart speaker can make your entire system function together synergistically. A lot of people have heard of smart speakers whether it be Google Home, Amazon’s Alexa, or even Apple’s HomePod. Not only does it offer news and weather updates, but it can be used as the central hub for your entire smart home. These speakers can connect with other Internet-enabled devices on your Wi-Fi network to allow you to control them throughout your home. You can use these speakers conveniently to give voice commands without having to lift a finger.
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Security
There are plenty of different security devices in the marketplace that will integrate with your smart home. These security devices will help you monitor your home remotely, view who’s at the front door, and even alert you when a package is dropped off at your doorstep.
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Smart Smoke or Carbon Dioxide Detector
These devices can be successfully integrated into your smart home. A traditional alarm will trigger and provide a warning to anyone that can hear it. However, a smart detector will trigger the alarm so you always know it’s going off whether you’re home or not. You will get a text alert no matter where you are. This can be very effective for those who go on vacation and want to keep tabs on their home. You can also have it set to automatically notify the fire department.
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Smart Appliances
There are all kinds of smart appliances out there. These include televisions, refrigerators, dishwashers, and more. These connected devices can do many things including monitoring the internal health of the appliance. That way, you can tell whether or not the appliance needs maintenance. This can help you avoid a lot of larger issues that are far more costly to fix.
Right now, a lot of smart homes have more smart features added after the construction is finished. The majority of them involve tech-centric owners who want to integrate smart tech into their own homes. However, some home builders are choosing to integrate these devices into the building process. They are incorporating them at the design stage.
What Are Some Of The Benefits For Doing This?
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Sell Quicker
One of the major benefits of integrating smart features into the design process is to help the home sell faster. Research indicates that smart homes sell much quicker. Many real estate agents have said homes with smart features are much more likely to sell a home fast.
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Sell For More
Another benefit is the fact that you can charge a premium for the home. There is plenty of research that validates this idea. Younger buyers, in particular, are much more likely to spend the premium to buy a smart home.
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Reduce Insurance Claims
One of the side benefits of adding smart features to your home is that it can reduce your insurance premiums. A lot of insurance providers will lower the premiums because they know it can decrease claims.
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It’s Environmentally Friendly
A smart home is going to deliver much greater control over the use of energy throughout the entire household. This alone makes it a good way to reduce energy waste. Not only does this save the homebuyer money, but it can help reduce the footprint on the environment at the same time. This can help homebuilders meet the government’s energy efficiency standards.
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It’s More Inclusive
A smart home is going to be much more inclusive. It’s good for those that suffer from various disabilities. A security system can help someone disabled see who’s at the front door without getting up. They will be able to turn “on” or “off” the lights without having to get out of their chair. It makes living in the home much more accessible for those with disabilities.
While there are plenty of benefits, there are also some challenges associated with it.
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Costs More
You can expect to pay more upfront when integrating smart features into your property design. You are going to be adding a fairly significant expense to the build depending on what you decide to add. Installing this type of system can add as much as 5% to the entire build.
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It Requires Skills
Someone who is a home builder isn’t necessarily a tech enthusiast. It requires a completely different set of skills. This may result in the need to bring in a tech specialist to install these complex systems.
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Integration Problems
Integrating smart devices into a traditional home can introduce a lot of problems. You’ll need to have software and devices that communicate effectively with one another. You also need to ensure you are buying compatible devices that integrate with the same hub. It would make it less convenient if the homeowner needed to buy different devices for different things throughout their home. For instance, having to use Amazon’s Alexa for the lights, but Google Home for the garage.
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Security Concerns
A lot of people have security concerns as it relates to smart devices. This is especially true with the prevalence of hacking. Smart homes are always connected. This means someone could potentially tap into the network through a vulnerability and get a lot of personal information. For instance, someone could tap in and see a heating system that hasn’t been used for a week. This would indicate the property is currently vacant. Thus, someone could potentially plan a lower-risk burglary since no one is home. Thus, any smart system needs to be properly installed, regularly updated, and secure.
Source: https://techbullion.com/