Happy new year! Let’s kick off the new decade with the excitement of further home renovations (yes, I’m still at it!) and embracing new technology within the home. Smart technology innovations bring homes to a new level, with an increase in security, eco-consciousness, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency. They go hand-in-hand with other building work that can be done in the New Year, so I’m planning ahead with these in mind. Here are some smart home renovation ideas we can all bring into our homes in 2020…
SMART LIGHT BULBS
There are plethora of smart light bulb options to choose from including LED-based bulbs that can be controlled through apps, voice control, or Bluetooth. The current bulbs on the market have greatly improved, as they are more compact and come with a wider colour choice. Prices have even dropped significantly, making them more affordable and a great first step for transitioning to a smart home.
Smart bulbs can be connected to other smart home assistants such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa or used with a smartphone app. You can choose your options depending on the room size and how bright you want it to be. I’ve already got smart bulbs in my bedrooms and in a lamp in the living room, and they are colour-changing bulbs (as you can see in my photo above). These are great for security as you can turn them on when you’re out of the house – and they make your home look welcoming when you get back on dark evenings.
SMART THERMOSTAT
As seasons change, smart thermostats come in handy as they can be controlled remotely through phones, tablets, or other WiFi-enabled devices. They even take notice of your patterns and preferences. Alongside controlling heating and cooling schedules, some even include motion sensors depending on the particular model. Ideal Home reports that smart thermostats are becoming increasingly popular in the UK as they are helping cut down on energy bills.
I mentioned last year that I wanted to get a smart thermostat so for those of you who are thinking of upgrading their heating system technology like me, it pays to make sure that the current system can handle any modifications or that the heating system is covered for any unexpected damage. HomeServe in their guide to boiler insurance list the variety of options available to homeowners, including a 24-hour helpline and replacement parts. This means that if anything does goes wrong, it won’t be too costly to get any maintenance done quickly. After all, the smart thermostat should be saving you money.
SMART SECURITY
While electronic door locks are nothing new, advancements in smart technology have made them even better. Aside from tightening home security, they will save you money as you don’t have to change the locks if you lose keys – passwords can be changed instead. Some smart locks can fit easily into your doors’ deadbolts already, so you don’t have to be too concerned about adjusting your doors so drastically. Business News Daily also advises picking a lock that has a low-battery indicator that will alert you if the batteries need changing. You can rest in comfort knowing that your home is safe – especially if you choose a device that can integrate with a home surveillance system and video doorbell.
SMART SMOKE DETECTORS
The smart smoke detectors out on the market now have very subtle and sleek designs to fit neatly into your homes. ABN AMRO Developer states that these are wise investments if you travel a lot as they send you and your emergency contacts an alert if smoke or carbon monoxide is detected. They even notify you if batteries need changing, which is especially important given that a number of fires occur because of malfunctioning smoke detectors. Sometimes they can also be connected to other alarms within your homes, sounding them altogether if an emergency were to occur.
I’ll keep you updated with the Smart tech that I add to my home during our renovations in 2020, so watch this space! Please do let me know your own home decorating or renovating plans for the coming year – or decade! – in the comments below, I’d love to hear what you’re planning to do 🙂
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This blog post is collaborative post. The blog post reflects my own experience and the contributor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
