There’s no denying the rise of home automation; it’s been called the next Industrial Revolution. You may already have smart home devices: the outlet adapter which allows you to use an app to control your light or television; the door lock that doesn’t require keys; the thermostat that self-adjusts the temperature of your home. All these products, and the thousands more on the market or in development, were designed to simplify your life and surroundings. While that’s a popular concept, the better product is the one which positively impacts your wallet as well, by helping you save money with home automation. The good news is there are plenty of these on the market, too.
Let’s start with the aforementioned thermostat. Even basic models now have programming features to schedule times where your house doesn’t require as much heating or cooling. But smart thermostats take the technology a step further, with features like sensors which adjust the thermostat to account for humidity in the air, energy saving modes to control heating or cooling when no one is in the house, and even geofencing to adjust the temperature when the unit senses you are approaching home.
HVAC is usually the first thing people think of when it comes to saving money, but extra energy consumption from lighting can be costly, too. Smart bulbs or outlet converters make it easy to control lighting use by setting times for lights to be on and off and providing remote access should their status need to change. Leaving for work, errands, or vacation no longer requires running through the house to check individual lights, worrying about unnecessary energy usage while you are gone, or setting multiple timers to give the impression someone is home.
Smart smoke detectors, water sensors, and carbon monoxide detectors can save money by preventing costly damage. A single notification from a sensor to alert you to a leaky pipe can save you thousands in water damage costs. Detectors and sensors which tie into a home security system may also offer benefits and savings from your home insurance.
According to Gartner, Inc., 2018 is on pace to see over 11 billion Internet of Things devices installed across both consumer and business platforms. However, the growth potential of the IoT is virtually limitless, as is the potential for you to save money with home automation.