Ontario Green Savings Highlights 5 Reasons to Build a New Home with a Smart Home Automation System — Realty Times
For many people, building a new home is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create the perfect living space — one where dimensions, views, fixtures and finishes all align with an inspired and unique vision. However, thanks to some relatively recent technological advancements, there is another piece of the puzzle that can take a dream home to the next level and make it truly spectacular: smart home automation.
“Smart home automation is a suite of integrated technologies that enable homeowners to automatically and, if they wish, manually control a variety of things — such as lighting, heating, ventilation, appliances, communication systems, security, and more — through a home network, which can be accessed through computers, laptop, tablets, smartphones, and wearables,” commented a spokesperson from Ontario Green Savings, a leading Smart Home Rental Program provider in Ontario that delivers energy saving and smart home automation solutions to thousands of customers across the province.
If you are planning on building your dream home, then here are five reasons why you should include smart home automation as part of your vision:
1. Take Comfort and Convenience to an Unprecedented Level
The shift from a conventional home to a smart home is so dramatic, that in some ways it must be seen and experienced to be truly appreciated. For example, you can control and customize a wide range of home management features and levels, such as lighting, temperature, and more. You can even instruct your oven to start preheating or start the washing machine.
“Since smart home automation leverages the Internet, a wide variety of functions can be triggered remotely from work, the grocery store, or anywhere else,” commented a spokesperson from Ontario Green Savings, whose suite of smart home automation products currently includes Nest Thermostat 3G, Nest Thermostat Nest E, Nest Protect, Google Wi-Fi, and Flowie Water Flow Sensor to name a few. “The convenience of smart home automation is epic and transformative. There has never been anything like it.”
2. Improve Energy Efficiency and Reduce Environmental Impact
Another game-changing advantage of smart home automation is that it measurably and sustainably improves energy efficiency, which ultimately reduces environmental impact. For example, a smart thermostat empowers you to monitor and control your home’s temperature setting from anywhere, which is very welcome news if you have ever arrived back from a vacation only to discover that your air conditioner or furnace has been chugging away for days or weeks as if you were home.
You can also instruct your HVAC system to dial back or shut off if someone leaves a door or window open. And speaking of windows: coverings can automatically close or open depending on the time of day and external conditions. For example, during the winter, window shades can open in the morning and afternoon to let in warming sunlight, and close in the morning and afternoon during the summer to enhance cooling.
In addition, you can take advantage of smart lighting to automatically turn lights on or off at certain times. Plus, smart irrigation systems can automatically check the weather forecast and adjust watering schedules accordingly.
“Reduced energy consumption does not just translate into a smaller environmental footprint, but it also means significantly lower energy costs,” commented a spokesperson from Ontario Green Savings, which has a handy online calculator on its website to help homeowners see how much money they will save by switching to energy efficient appliances and systems. “Families could easily save thousands of dollars a year, while at the same time feeling great because they are part of the environmental solution and helping to fight climate change.”
3. Enhance Security and Safety
Smart home automation technologies substantially improve home security. For example, you can deploy an interconnected network of security devices — such as surveillance cameras, motion detectors, automated door locks, and more — and both activate and monitor them from anywhere, and at any time. You can also integrate all of the smoke/carbon monoxide alarms in your home, so that if one of them senses a problem the others will take notice and (if necessary) sound the alarm bell loud and clear.
“With conventional security, homeowners are typically alerted to threats and risks after an event has occurred — for example, a thief triggers breaks into a home and sets of an alarm,” commented a spokesperson from Ontario Green Savings. “However, with smart home automation, homeowners can be much more proactive. They can discover and detect potential security events throughout their property — including their yard and driveway — and then take appropriate action. And if they forget to arm their security system before leaving for work, heading out on vacation, or taking the dog for a walk, they can fix this oversight with a few taps of their smartphone.”
4. Generate Insights into Home Management
Have you ever wanted to know just how much TV your family watches, how much time you spend cooking on your stove, and what kinds of foods you most commonly buy and put in your refrigerator? Well, smart home automation technologies can provide you with all of this (and more) information in an easy-to-understand manner. As a result, you can make changes that enhance your life and optimize your home. Smart home automation empowers homeowners to clearly know what their family is actually doing at home.
5. Increase Your Home’s Value and Appeal
Right now, you are planning about building a new home. But one day you may also need or want to relocate. If that happens, the investments that you make in smart home technology will definitely enhance your home’s value, and it will also boost its appeal — which translates into higher bids from interested buyers, and fewer days on the market.
“Ask any real estate professional and they will readily confirm that homes with features like smart home security systems and smart home lighting systems are much more desirable than those that lack these enhancements,” commented a spokesperson from Ontario Green Savings. “And while we aren’t there yet, within a couple of decades it’s very likely that homes without at least some smart home infrastructure will be put in a second tier, simply because the majority of appliances — like stoves, washers, dryers, refrigerators — will be made for smart home automation systems. Would-be buyers aren’t going to want to settle for old fashioned non-connected appliances, which means they either won’t bid on a home without this capacity, or they will offer a much lower bid.”
Originally published at https://realtytimes.com.