The digital age has ushered in a slew of new terminology that has altered our conversations and forced us to adapt or be left behind. Terms like “smartphone”, “social media”, “the Internet of things” and “killer app”. In the past couple of years yet another new term has entered the lexicon: “smart home”. But just what is a smart home and why would anyone want their home to be smart? Isn’t it enough that it’s comfortable, convenient and reassuring? Our own Hannah Taylor recently sat down with the folks at eieihome.com to address the topic of the smart home and, as usual, she does a stellar job of reducing a complex subject to easily understandable bits. Such as:
“A Smart Home is generally considered one which has some or all of its utilities, appliances, security and entertainment technology (TV, computer, audio/video) synced together and under the control of a remote device such as a smart phone, tablet or computer application.”
That sums it up pretty well and can serve as a basis for understanding the overall concept from a practical standpoint (thanks Hannah). As you might imagine, however, actually tying together all of the home’s utilities, appliances, security features and entertainment devices is easier said than done.
Want to convert your Home to Smart Home? Contact Hotwire Electric @ 416-553-5533
Can Any Home Be Turned Into a Smart Home?
The smart home is one that, among other things, interacts with the “smart grid” created by the energy provider to minimize home energy use during times of peak demand. It can even shift the use of some devices to a different time of the day when power may be more abundant and/or available for less.
Toronto Electrician Dream Home Lighting Guide
Due to the fact that the wiring in your home must be reconfigured almost from the ground up most smart home wiring is installed during the initial build or during a major renovation. This is not to say that it’s impossible to convert your home unless you’re renovating, just that it’s easier to do when the walls etc are already being taken apart for other, cosmetic reasons.
What are the Advantages of Having a Smart Home Wiring?
The advantages are many as Hannah mentions in the eieihome article:
“Imagine you just left for a flight but forget to turn off the AC or lock a door, those issues are not concerns in Smart Homes”
That’s because in the smart home every feature can be fully automated and/or controlled remotely. So even if you forget to turn off the AC and head to the airport to catch a flight the system will shut down at a given time if programmed to do so. Of, if you haven’t programmed that level of automation into your home, you can still monitor and control all your appliances, security features and lights from your smartphone no matter where you are on planet earth as long as you have an Internet connection.
Get a free estimate for your Smart Home
Summary
The age of the smart home is upon us and those that don’t take advantage of this incredible leap forward in residential technology are destined to wind up paying more for energy and losing out on the amazing safety and convenience features that come with smart home technology. If you’d like to learn more about converting your house into a smart home call HotWire Electric and talk to Hannah or one of our other experts directly.
