Imagine walking into a room and having the temperature and lighting automatically adjust to your preferred setting. Or settling down to watch a movie and hitting one button that signals the microwave to pop your popcorn, the lighting to dim, and the movie to begin. Sound like something you'd only see at an electronics trade show? Not so. By installing so-called "smart technology" in your home, you can integrate systems and automate nearly everything in your home.
While the possibilities for home automation are only limited by your imagination, the choices facing the average homeowner may seem daunting. The good news is that you do not need to become an instant expert in order to enhance your home's capabilities. A home technology integrator can design, implement, and tie together your home's various electronic systems. These include:
Energy
You can save energy - and money - by automating thermostats, lights and other environmental systems such as irrigation systems. Integrating all of these into one environmental system can help ensure a minimum waste of energy in your home. For example, motion and occupancy sensors can activate heat and lighting controls as you enter and exit rooms. Or, when you leave for work in the morning, your house could "check" for and turn off unnecessary energy consumers such as radios, TVs, stoves and irons (a nice safety feature).
Security
Smart home automation can help keep your home safe by simulating normal in-home activity, such as turning lights on and off at various times during the day and night when you're away. To protect against break-ins, web cams can be positioned at home entrances and an alarm system that uses heat and motion sensors can be installed to alert you and the security company in the event of an intruder.
Entertainment
The sky is the limit when it comes to home entertainment. Whether it's a sophisticated home theater or a program that turns on music every time you enter a specific room, your creativity is the only limit. Let your imagination run wild and with the help of a home technology integrator, the vision for your in-home system can indeed become a reality.
For more ideas on how you can equip your home with smart technology, visit the RealEstate.com Tips and Tools section.
About RealEstate.com
RealEstate.com helps give consumers an advantage during their home buying or selling journey, from the early stages of dreaming through the final stages of moving. The site uses a proprietary, turbo-charged home listings "engine" with access to more than two million listings in order to bring clarity to the chaos. In addition, a robust "Tips and Tools" section provides helpful advice, checklists and guides, all in an effort to help users navigate the process. Together, this comprehensive set of tools, content, listings and services have come together to help consumers "Get the knowledge. Get the edge.™"
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, RealEstate.com is an operating company of IAC. RealEstate.com also owns or operates iNest, Domania and RealEstate.com, REALTORS®.
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