What Smart-Home Tech Do You Need?

In the 21st century, everything is digital. Music, films, books and now your homes. In 2021, 23% of Britons have a “smart” item in their household and 8% have two items… but that number will grow. A smart home is one that thrives on technology. Whether this is controlling your lights or heating through an app or having a doorbell that can play a live feed of who is at your door, you can expect a smart home to be one that works for you. We wanted to take a look at a few of the most common and interesting tech-centric additions you can make to your home.

 

Smart Thermostats

As the winter months start to creep up, we can expect thermostats and central heating to get used more and more. A smart thermostat can let you control the temperature of your home from an app, no matter where you are. Virtual assistant devices can even take it one step further, letting you use voice commands to raise or lower the temperature of your house.

  With many, you don’t even have to lift a finger or say a word. So many smart thermostats offer scheduling and delayed actions, meaning you can set the heating to turn on 30 minutes before your alarm goes off, warming your house for the morning before you have got out of bed. Prices will vary but if you live in an old building or one with single glazed windows being able to easily make the house warm is a blessing.

 

Smart Lights

Most smart light systems let you control your lights from your phone or virtual home assistant. Much like a smart thermostat, you can set timers and certain themes throughout a day. If you are working at home for example and your office does not have great natural sunlight, you can recreate this with a smart lighting hub. Philips Hue claims to offer 16 million colours and use approximately 85% less wattage than your standard bulb. Using lighting outside can also act as a very handy security aid. Keeping your house lit from the outside can help increase your safety after dark as well as provide a more welcoming entrance if you are getting home late in the evening.

 

Smart Locks and Security Systems

Smart locks can sometimes resemble something from Fort Knox. From the comfort of an app, you can lock or unlock your door remotely, grant access to people you trust, configure multiple keys and generate temporary access codes for anyone who needs them. What’s more, some smart locks can even keep track of when your door is opened, so you know if someone has been in your house while you are out.

  There is also the option of exploring wider security systems now. Unintrusive cameras as well as alarm systems are now more accessible than ever and are only increasing in their security.

 

Smart Kitchen Appliances

For those just getting into the idea of smart home technology, seeing how you can improve your kitchen with it is a great way to start. Smart ovens, fridges and coffee makers are all quickly becoming commonplace, taking a lot of the hassle and interference out of cooking. Many modern day slow cookers now are built with smart-functions being a major selling point; being able to set a machine to come on at a certain time will go a long way to saving you those precious moments when you finally get home from a long day. In reality, you only need to look at microwaves to see that smart tech has always been in the kitchen.

  Making your home smart doesn’t have to be tiring. In fact, the whole purpose of it is to do the opposite of that, saving you time and effort so you can get on with everything else. One of the biggest benefits though is that without spending too much, you can significantly improve the value of your home by introducing more permanent smart tech, like ovens and temperature control.

  Spring has over a decade of experience in buying and selling properties, helping people wrap up their sale in as little as seven days or on a date to suit their onward move. To find out how we can help you, contact a member of our team today.

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