Smart home technology trends may come and go, but saving money never goes out style. That’s why we’re sharing six smart home trends that will help you slash your household budget in 2021.
From energy-efficient tech to high-grade security, these home innovations will make everyday living easier, safer, and more cost-effective.
Let’s explore the hottest home trends that are on the horizon this year:
1. Smart Thermostats
Programmable thermostats have been around for decades. However, they’re often difficult to set and can be inefficient. Why, because they are programmed on a preset cycle, whether you’re at home or not.
Smart thermostats are programmed to set the temperature when they sense you are present automatically. Once you leave, they can default to standby mode.
Models like Nest do all of this, and also allow you to check your usage from your cell phone to adjust the temperature remotely. You have more control over your heating and cooling bill and comfortable temperatures than ever before. Many smart thermostats also work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, giving you yet another way to adjust your settings with remote access to your smart home systems.
2. Smart Smoke Detectors
Having working smoke detectors is key to saving lives. For this reason, it’s best to think less about these devices as one of 2021’s smart home technology trends and more of a necessity.
When most of us think of smoke detectors, our minds turn to battery-powered devices that screech when they’re low on power. Tending to these classic smoke detectors becomes a chore, which leaves some to remove the batteries and risk their safety in the event of a fire.
New smart smoke detectors, like the products offered by Birdi, monitor smoke, carbon monoxide, and air quality. With this new sensor technology, they know the difference between a real fire and burnt toast, meaning you won’t have to stress every time you’re in the kitchen. They can also tell you where the fire is in your home and if you’re not at home, send you an alert on your smartphone, so you can call the fire department or a neighbor to check on your house to see if everything is OK.
There’s not a lot of choices when it comes to smart smoke detectors. The web’s favorite for a few years running is the Nest Protect. It’s the most full-featured alarm, blaring out a loud siren and telling you where the problem is. If you have one mounted near your kitchen, it will also send out a warning that it’s about to go off, so you can silence it if all you’re doing is cooking up some steaks. We also like that it performs a self-check every month and can be linked with other Nest Protects. It has a 10-year battery, too.
If you don’t want to spend more than $100 on a smart smoke detector or already have several functioning smoke detectors in your home, then check out the Roost Smart Battery. This 9-volt Wi-Fi-connected battery goes into any smoke detector and alerts your phone when the alarm goes off. However, you can’t connect it directly to any other smart home devices.
If you already have some non-smart smoke detectors, an inexpensive option is to use Alexa Guard. When enabled, your Alexa smart speakers will listen for smoke and CO2 alarms and send you an alert on your smartphone if they hear a siren. It can also be connected to home security systems, such as those from ADT and Ring.
3. Smart Sprinkler Control
Water is a huge part of our home’s consumption. If you own a single-family home, you know the undertaking of watering your lawn. With unpredictable weather, outdated sprinklers can over water in some areas and miss others, leaving uneven results and costly water bills.
Yet, even timed sprinklers can produce wastewater. How often have you seen automatic sprinklers popping up from the lawn, even though it’s raining outside? A solution could be a smart sprinkler controller like the one offered by Rachio Iro.
Timed systems were once seen as innovations, but if they can’t respond to your area’s weather, they become just as inefficient as a sprinkler attached to a hose.
The Rachio Iro can be programmed by your computer or smartphone and instantly adjusts how often you water your lawn based on the season and the weather forecasts.
The result? No more overwatering. Mother nature takes over when the weather calls for it, and the system knows when to kick in to pick up the slack. It all adds up to saving you more.
4. Smart Home Security Systems
In the world of smart home technology trends, home security monitoring has seen a boom in recent years. There have also been significant advancements. With the old-style security systems, you had to call in contractors to wire your home with monitoring sensors.
With new smart technology, you can place a few smart devices in your home to monitor movement and sense whether doors and windows are closed or opened.
Some systems even include audio and video monitoring, as well as sirens to scare off intruders. You get real-time feedback on security breaches through an app. And, because you’re alerted as soon as the system senses an intruder, it’s more likely that they will be caught.
There are many new products on the market right now, so do your research to select the best system for your home.
6. Smart Locks
Staying with the security theme, let’s go beyond standard key locks, which burglars often compromise. New smart lock systems give you more control over those who can gain access to your home.
Like the Kwikset Kevo, some systems include encrypted virtual keys that you can program for access for a limited amount of time. Allowing guests over for a weekend or cleaning service during a specific time window has never been easier.
Other door locking systems include biometric technology. The Ultraloq UL3 BT Bluetooth Enabled Fingerprint and Touchscreen Smart Lock allow you to program your lock to recognize your family member’s fingerprints.
6. Smart lighting systems and light bulbs
New energy-efficient lighting systems and bulbs have illuminated smart home technology trends, and here’s how:
- Curb appeal. From walkways to your home’s exterior, the right lighting can help your home shine.
- Energy savings. Why pay for something when you’re not using it? Smart lighting and dimmers use sensors to lower your electric bill.
- Security. Burglars love the dark. Enough said.
Smart lighting gives you more control over how much energy you use and allows you to turn them on and off through your smartphone.
Smart home technology trends need a home to work
New gadgets with all the bells and whistles are great, but without a home to apply them to, they’re useless.
Whether you’re looking to increase the value of your home to sell or you’re looking to get the most out of the home you’re searching for, we’ll provide you with the real estate services you need to get the most out of your present or future property.
We use cutting-edge technology to help sellers and buyers conquer the housing market every day. Connect with us to learn how we can help you optimize your real estate goals.