Part of a serene living experience centers around how your home works for you. Most newly built homes, as well as older homes with recent updates and retrofits, have at least some features that fall under the “Smart Home” umbrella. Smart Home USA defines a smart home as “a residence that has appliances, lighting, heating, air conditioning, TVs, computers, entertainment audio & video systems, security, and camera systems that are capable of communicating with one another and can be controlled remotely by a time schedule, from any room in the home, as well as remotely from any location in the world by phone or internet.” Smart Home technology greatly enhances home ownership and is quickly becoming an infrastructure standard in new homes (see First Smart Phones, Now Smart Homes). While it provides a feeling of luxury, costs are coming down and manufacturers are incorporating controls into products as standard features, so it’s more accessible to most homeowners. In some (not all), cases Smart Home technology requires an up-front investment, which is quickly negated by the many benefits in terms of comfort, convenience, control, resource efficiency, and cost savings.

Smart Home, or home automation, capabilities include being able to easily control essential and non-essential functions such as:

• Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
• Security systems, alarms, video surveillance
• Lighting and appliance use
• Water use (sprinkler system)
• Computers and entertainment systems

The devices are intuitive and similar to today's commonly-used electronics. To maximize performance, once they're installed (by a pro or DIY) and preferences are set, spend a few minutes learning how to use them. Then sit back and enjoy the peace of mind and convenience! And... here is your future smart home — and no, it doesn't look like 'The Jetsons'!

If you have any questions about Smart Home or home automation options for your home, contact us at 203.972.6100 or info@rrbuilders.com.