Recently the popularity of smart homes has been on the rise, and for good reason. I mean who would hate to operate their house at the click of a button or just issuing orders while seated at the comfort of their sofas. Below is a compilation of 6 tips from Technology on Tap that will help you to convert your ‘normal house’ to a smart home.
Family acceptance
The very first step when building a smart home is making sure that your family accepts the move. Remember they are also part of the house and will have to adapt to the new way of operating devices in the house. Therefore, seek their opinions before setting to transform a house they will be part of.
Map it out before starting the process
When adopting a smart home system, most people begin with just a few devices. As time progresses they become hooked and want to add more devices. Consequently, it is essential for you to map out what you want and where you want it. So that even if you do not currently have it, when you plan to have it you will already know where it supposed to be installed.
Mapping provides you with an idea of what to expect even before starting the process and allows you make changes which would be messy if they were to be made when the smart home building process has already begun.
Invest in a good smart thermostat
Cooling and heating your home makes up almost half of your energy bill. Smart thermostats are designed to help you control your heating and cooling devices. They will only be operating only when you need them. It is therefore advisable to invest in a good quality smart thermostat.
Check for rebates with your power company
This tip is related to acquiring a smart thermostat which makes power usage efficient. As a result, power companies offer rebates to smart homeowners who use smart thermostats. Power companies are always advocating for proper usage of power, to promote this directive, most power companies in most states will offer rebates that range from $25-$100.
Make use of smart home communities
Creating a smart home can be a daunting task. There are tons of devices to choose not forgetting manufacturers. You should, therefore, make use of online communities of people who have already used these products. They will offer you with variable information that would have been hard to come by. Brands such as Philips Hue, Ecobee and SmartThings have Facebook pages where their customers interact. These brands also use these platforms to answer their client’s questions.
Always prioritize your privacy
When buying smart home devices, only buy from brands that have earned trust overtime. Remember there are devices which will be recording whatever happens in your house some of which needs to remain private.
It is therefore advisable to consider adopting self-hosting options for such sensitive data. This way you will always be sure of the privacy of your data as opposed to using paid cloud services which could be expensive and at the same time vulnerable in case there is a data leakage or system malfunction.