How to Make Your Home Smarter

How to Make Your Home Smarter

By Hannah Keeley

(ARA) - Why rack your brain thinking of ways to make your home more comfortable and efficient when you can get your home to think for you? Smart homes are the emerging trend in home design.

We may not have a robot to pick up our clothes or a conveyor belt to deliver hot meals to our table, but with all of the new, space-age products available for our homes, we can easily join the ranks of George and Jane Jetson to create a home that does the thinking for us. When you're looking for solutions to make your home smarter, consider options that focus on convenience, safety, comfort and efficiency.

Convenient Solutions
In a society where we are always on the go, it's nice to know that you can maintain your home even when you're not in it. With new home systems, you can access the controls of your home from any computer, telephone or PDA. Imagine dimming the lights, cooking your dinner, and putting on some nice music on your way home from work!

Touch panels throughout the house can help you access practically everything in your home -- from figuring out what you need to pick up from the grocery store to finding out who is knocking at the front door. Even the air is in your control. The American Standard AccuLink system can actually give you a call if any problems in the air quality or the filtration system are detected.

Keeping Your Family Safe

New technology has allowed for safer homes, and we're not talking about a bolt on the front door. Doors and windows are available in impact-resistant glass that is nine times stronger than a windshield. Steel roofing materials that look just like wimpy little shake shingles can survive category 5 hurricane winds. And security systems are no longer just a magnetic strip on the windows and doors. With modern advancements, these systems now rival those found in the Louvre, with everything from heat sensors to remote access, ensuring that your most valuable possessions -- your family -- are truly protected.

Getting More Comfortable

When your home is your castle, you want to enjoy the luxuries of life just like any king or queen. Fortunately, with modern technology, you can. You can find fabrics on the furniture that can repel everything from animal hair to harmful microbes, or a television that turns into a revolving slideshow of your favorite masterpieces or family photos.

Imagine ovens that switch to a refrigerator at the press of a button, or systems that turn the lights off and the security on when the front door is locked. What about air filtration systems, like American Standard AccuClean, that maintain the perfect temperature and humidity level while filtering out as much as 99.98 percent of pollutants in the filtered air? These are no longer just cool things found in futuristic movies. All of these products are available today, and they save time and money in the long run.

Saving Costs with Efficient Products

In an era when saving money and saving the environment are at the top of every homeowner's list, it's easier to find more efficient and eco-friendly products. According to the Environmental Protection Association, the average family spends $1,900 a year on energy bills with nearly half going towards heating and cooling. With a few simple steps, such as seasonal maintenance of properly sized and installed, energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment, you can save as much as 20 percent on annual energy costs.

You can look for appliances and heating and cooling systems with the Energy Star label, including those from American Standard. In addition, new insulation barriers can cut up to 50 percent off of monthly energy costs. Faucets that turn on and off with sensors help cut down on wasted water. You can also find home products -- from garage doors to countertops -- made from recycled items.

By shopping smarter, you can rest assured that your home is not only saving you money, but caring for the environment as well. The future of our homes is definitely looking brighter and brighter. So put on your shades and tell George and Jane to step aside!

Courtesy of ARAcontent