We’re not quite in the age of robots or artificial intelligence doing all our menial tasks, but smart home technology is getting us closer every day. Not only does using a smart home manager help save time, but it also saves money and can even help save the environment through reduced use of energy.
We detail five ways to automate your home, apartment complex, or really any location (commercial or residential) and reap the benefits of a more hands-off approach to modern living.
1. Set Up a Smart Home Manager for Sustainable Irrigation
Yardwork, while often cathartic, still requires plenty of time and energy to maintain. It also requires that you remember to water your plants which in our busy schedules can easily get forgotten.
Scheduled sprinkler and irrigation systems have been around for a while now, but recent technology can even adapt to weather changes so you’re not watering while it’s raining and drown your plants. Your plants and lawn will get just the right amount of water, and you can maintain your green thumb title.
2. Reduce Your Energy Impact (and Save Money) By Programming Your Thermostat
Heating and cooling often account for about half of your utility bill so it just makes sense to reduce how much you’re spending on this as much as possible.
Most smart thermostats come with the ability to control and schedule them via your smartphone. This makes it easy to control them while you’re away and minimize your energy usage while no one is home.
Plus, you help save the environment more by frequently using less energy to keep your home at one temperature.
3. Automate Electronics and Appliances
This is typically more helpful when you’re away from home, but automating your electronics using a smart home manager while you’re on the couch can be handy too.
Usually, you can set up smart features by choosing a smart plug and connecting it to your phone so you can set it to turn on when you like. That way you can deter thieves by having things on even when you can’t access them.
4. Schedule Your Lights for Optimum and Minimal Use
Like your appliances, you can also set up your lamps and lights with smart plugs that you can activate through your phone, a smart home manager, or through a smart speaker like Google Nest.
They can also be scheduled when you come home or you could even just replace them with motion sensor lights so that they’re only in use when you’re most active.
5. Clean Up Easily When You’re Not Even Home
Vacuuming used to be an entirely “you” operation, but no more. Roomba is obviously the most well-known brand, but there are plenty of other great vacuum choices for you to pick from that don’t require you to do any of the cleaning yourself. This helps you better dedicate that time spent on cleaning to the more important tasks you want to accomplish.
Smart living is only going to be more integrated as technology improves, especially for homes and buildings working toward being net-zero ready (i.e. they produce as much energy as they consume through renewable energy like solar panels). The above ways are a great place to start making your home smarter though.