What used to be what we only see in movies or sitcoms is now becoming more prevalent and is here to stay. Technology is evolving and smart devices are increasingly entering our homes and impacting our lives on a daily basis.
According to statistics, the global smart home market is expected to grow and exceed $330 billion in value by 2030. There are some smart home devices that can help you save more money and also protect your property.
Life as we know it is changing and smart home devices are providing convenience, security and peace of mind. But with so many smart devices on the market, it’s challenging to choose the right one. In this article, we would be providing you with the top 7 most useful innovative smart home devices and tools to help you make the right decision
1. Locks
Smart locks have eradicated the need of making copies of keys or even worrying about changing the locks when you feel there’s a need to do so. With Smart Locks, you can set up electronic passcodes, and even individual codes, for visitors or those you would normally grant access to your home when you’re not around.
For instance, you can give your house cleaner a unique passcode, eliminating the need to give out a copy of your home key.
Smart locks also send alerts when someone uses a passcode or enters your home.
2. Thermostat
Powering your home is not cheap. The cost of heating and cooling can be substantial. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average power bill generated per month is approximately $140
One of the good things about smart home tools is that smart thermostats could help you reduce your cooling and heating bills. How this smart thermostat works is that they connect to your Wi-Fi and monitor your home and automatically adjust your temperature. So, they reduce your expenses by turning off the heat or air-conditioning more often than normal thermostat once they automatically detect that the house is heated enough or cool enough.
According to reports by the Environmental Protection Agency, smart thermostats produce an average cost savings of 8%. The federal energy-saving program, Energy Star, says that this decrease in spending could deliver savings of over $100 a year to a typical US home which spends approximately $1,346 on cooling and heating.
3. Security Systems
Smart security systems like security cameras, video doorbells, and motion lights can be efficient deterrents against burglars. According to a survey conducted, 60% of convicted burglars said that the presence of an alarm system in a home would cause them to stop their plans and look for another property.
4. Plugs
Smart plugs are one of the most affordable tools as far as smart home devices are concerned. They cost less than $10 depending on the one you choose.
If you have ever left your house in a haste, and then a few minutes into the journey, you realize that you didn’t turn off your iron or hair straightener, smart plug can be a total game-changer for you.
Smart plugs can turn any outlet into a smart outlet. All you need to do is to connect it to an app and turn the power off or on.
For instance, if you realize you forgot to turn off the hair iron, you can simply use the app to switch off the power to the smart plug in your bathroom, thereby preventing the risk of fire outbreak.
5. Cooktops
Several smart cooktops are voice controlled, although this may not be able to turn you to a professional chef overnight, but they can tremendously help your performance in the kitchen. With a smart cooktop, you can turn on a burner or even tone down the heat with your voice while you are across the kitchen doing something else.
You can prevent accidental burn by setting a timer for what you want to cook, and it will automatically stop when the time is up. And also, when you remove your pot from the surface, the fire automatically goes off.
6. Appliances
Smart appliances can be expensive. But in the long run, they are going to save you some money. All the major appliances, from your refrigerator to your TV set, even to your dryer, has a smart version, and they can be very effective tools.
With a smart refrigerator, you do not need to open it before you see the content in it and it has the ability to adjust based on the content in it reducing wasted electrons thereby saving you money.
A smart dry adjusts the power used to dry your clothes based on the content in it and can even turn off once your clothes are dried.
7. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Sensors
The loud noises from your traditional smoke or carbon monoxide sensor can alert you when it detects a problem. But this is only effective when you are present in the house, if you’re not there’s no way you can tell there’s a problem.
With smart smoke and carbon monoxide sensors, the issue is fixed. The sensor is connected to an app, and when there’s smoke or high carbon monoxide levels, they send you an alert and start making noise. You can use the app to check if there’s a problem. Some sensors will even go as far as contacting emergency personnel for you