What is a Smart Home?
Smart homes are a new concept for living that combines our homes with IoT (Internet of Things). The IoT-connected homes come with many automated features and smart appliances a traditional home would not. Giving you the power to control home appliances from your mobile devices. Over the years, it is expected that we will see a massive mainstreaming of smart homes, as the industry has recorded a compound annual growth rate of 20.5% as of last year, and is estimated to reach a market size of $2.5 trillion by 2025 according to Forbes. Here are the top 7 features that give these homes their smart credentials:
1. Smart Home Integrated Appliances
It is no longer a rare sight to see people have smart features built into their daily lives. We can easily see people call Alexa or google to turn music on or start the vacuum. Some of the most popular products that we see on the market come from LG, and they include things like: washer/dryers, ovens, refrigerators, window blinds, heating and A/C, and even your locks, all from your phone. The built-in connectivity and automation means your home can monitor itself and optimize for maximum efficiency and safety.
From sanitizing closets to talking with your oven to preparing dinner, LG has incorporated smart appliances that make your everyday life easier and more convenient. Your smart home can be adjusted manually, or have complete automation.
2. Smart Home Design
In today's time, there has been a shift in how the design of a home is focused on convenience and efficiency. One example we have seen is in multifamily locations where the units have sound reduction walls to minimize the noise transferred between the units or from outside. This is designed to give every homeowner a complete fortress experience within their residence to truly relax.
In addition to automation and connectivity, after covid-19 we have seen how the world adapted to create healthier solutions to help us continue our lives under new norms. This has also influenced the way building designs are made. We have seen a new wave of technology and buildings being integrated for new touchless solutions. Throughout the country, there has been a new trend of tech-savvy buildings that are completely touchless.
What defines this touchless building is having access throughout the building without having to touch a single handle or a button. New technology has allowed buildings to have touchless/keyless entry to the building and also touchless elevators. New advances provide app-controlled elevators or simply hovering over buttons to get to your desired floor.
3. Smart Home Hygienics
Along with advocating for touchless solutions for everyone's health, additional smart home solutions include hygienic living. This means including air sanitizing devices in common areas and shared spaces that will help reduce the transmission of germs and viruses.
In some smart home concepts, some buildings have introduced anti-microbial solutions that help promote clean living. The hygiene living concept includes anti-microbial wall finishes and flooring that help reduce germs and bacteria that may be on these surfaces.
4. Smart Home Safety
Nothing is more important in a home than the peace of mind of being safe from any potential threat. Being able to reduce this factor substantially with technology is one of the perks of having a smart home. With a smart home system, you can track and also monitor who has access to enter. One can monitor couriers, food delivery, and more all from the palm of your hand.
In addition, multi-family residences also can have a unique entrance to the building avoiding any tailgaters. Access would be granted in form of a fob, a long-distance RFID sensor, and gate area monitoring to observe all activity within the building. Advances in-home technology such as these will help lower the chances of trespassing and tailgaters.
5. Automated Parking Solutions
Automated parking solutions provide an automated parking structure with unique features like charging stations and cleaning stations to help promote better use of space for parking lots. Carvana is a similar example of how automated parking solutions would work. The benefits of having an automated parking solution are plenty, for instance, one would be able to avoid thefts from having the cars parked in regular parking lots. Additionally, we can see a reduction in traffic and carbon monoxide as there would be fewer cars on the road waiting for a parking spot.
6. Sustainable Architecture
Another method that smart cities will showcase is sustainable architecture in the new buildings. One form that we are seeing this is in 2018, California mandated that new single-family and multi-family dwellings up to three stories are now required to have solar panels. Additionally, having sustainable materials in buildings such as recycled materials used by architects is leaving a positive footprint on the environment.
Another method is having angled walls, allowing more light into the structure. This can reduce the amount of light being used during the day, helping increase sustainability. In some places such as the One Central Park in Sydney, Australia, the building is a green building containing more than 250 species of flowers and plants on the sides of the building.
Bottom Line
Whether we like it or not, technology is a prominent factor that is here to stay. Shifting towards smart home living can change the idea and functionality of a traditional home as it connects us to various products to improve our day-to-day lifestyles. This can then be a key player in obtaining green buildings and being sustainable.