Why You Should Make Your New Home ‘Smart’

The future is now: it’s 2017 and the Internet of Things (connected devices that talk to one another) has gone from concept to being a part of daily life. We can use our smartphones to pay at stores, we can track how many steps we walk in a day with smart fitness bands, and we can tell Alexa to play a song for us.

If you’re in the market for a new home, you may be wondering about your options for ‘smartening’ up your home with devices? Are they hype or helpful? We’re London, Ontario-based home builders and we regularly work with our clients to help them find ways to incorporate smart technology into their new homes, so we’re happy to share our favorites with you.

With New Smart Technology in Your Home, You Can Save Big $

Smart thermostats are incredibly popular right now – and these absolutely live up to the hype. With a smart thermostat, you can program the temperature (heat and AC)  according to your schedule…and you can also program the thermostat to figure out your preferences and schedule on its own. Smart thermometers can also pick up on factors such as humidity to produce the ideal temperature (which will come in handy during the long Ontario winters we have here in London). They can give you statistics about energy use and help you save money with automatic programming or recommendations. Another amazing way to save money on energy bills? Occupancy-sensing light switches! These switches can sense when someone is in the room and respond accordingly. Smart solar panels, which can feed unused energy back into the ‘grid’, are a great way to start really slashing electricity costs.

With New Smart Technology, You Can Make Your Home Safer

Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are capable of amazing feats: they have much more refined sensitivity to environmental changes, will send alerts to your phone when you’re not home — and, believe it or not, they can sense if you’re walking in the dark and turn on a ‘pathlight’ to light your way. Smart outlets can safeguard your home by ensuring appliances are off (while also saving you money): you can control these from your phone. Smart locks really enhance home security while reducing the chances you’ll find yourself locked out: with smart locks in place, you can even digitally give home access to a friend just by texting them (and remove access whenever you want). And…if you ever forget to lock the door – no more worries: just do it with your phone from wherever you happen to be. Smart devices can also detect gas leaks, water leaks, and flooding – so you can worry less, and enjoy your home more.

With New Smart Technology in Your Home, You Can Make Life Easier

Last, but certainly not least, are all the conveniences of building a new home with smart technology! Whether it’s turning off the lights or controlling the thermostat from the comfort of your couch, smart homes come with some serious convenience. Smart appliances can be operated with the touch of a button on your phone; stereos can burned turned on, off, up, or down in seconds; your refrigerator can send you a photo of what’s in it when you’re at the grocery store, and much, much more.

With the Right Home Builder, You Can Make Your Home Smart

Looking for a builder near London, Ontario with experience in crafting smart homes? Forever Homes has been in the business for decades and we routinely work with clients to build them a house that’s as smart as it is beautiful.