Four Surprising Things You Might Not Know About Home Automation

It seems that there’s no end to how many unique innovations and advancements technology can bring – these days there’s an app for almost everything and automation is the name of the game. Interestingly, many people don’t know that much about home automation (a.k.a. smart home technology), despite it being super-convenient and part of the current technological trend. So to fix that, below are four surprising things you might not know about home automation.

1. Home automation is not all that new.

Although the mainstream home improvement industry has only recently caught on to home automation, the technology has actually been around for two or three decades now. Early home automation systems were mainly focused on security and utility/power management, but more recent systems have evolved to include virtually all of the systems in a home, including appliances, window treatments, heating/cooling and entertainment systems. So while home automation has been around for a while, the latest systems make the early versions look like dinosaurs by comparison.

2. Home automation has become surprisingly affordable.

When many people hear the phrase “home automation,” they often picture a posh, sprawling, ultra-modern estate with voice-controlled lights, swiveling security cameras and motion-controlled bulletproof sliding doors. There seems to be a stigma associated with home automation, to where people think that only the wealthy can afford to install smart home technology in their homes.

Fortunately, smart home technology doesn’t have to be reserved only for billionaires or spy movie villains; today’s home automation systems are surprisingly affordable for the average homeowner as well. For example, the BeHome247 home automation system offers you a total smart home automation package with 24/7 online access, unlimited users per system, unlimited amount of products per system and much more for less than $250 a year. If you thought that home automation would cost you thousands of dollars, it’s safe to say that you can put those thoughts to rest.

3. Home automation is a great way to save money on your utility bills.

No sane person would turn down the opportunity to save more money on their utility bills. Home automation offers several energy-saving benefits by giving you the ability to program your lights, thermostat, small appliances, water sensors, etc., so that they can turn on and off at specified times, which means that you won’t be wasting energy when you’re not at home. This will cut down dramatically on what are known as “vampire loads,” which are basically demands that certain devices place on your power system even when they are not being used. The BeHome247 home automation system can shut these devices off for you automatically, which can save you quite a bit of money on your monthly utility bills.

For example, you can program your smart thermostat to turn on within 30 minutes of your arrival at home from work, so that you won’t have to keep it on all day while you’re not there. You can program the lights to dim or shut off during the day, and then brighten up at nighttime, which will help to conserve energy. You will save yourself some gas money as well, because you won’t have to drive all the way home just to turn something on or off; you can control all of your smart home devices from the convenience of your smartphone, laptop or tablet using the BeHome247 online interface. This means that no matter where you are, no matter what time of day or night it is, you can customize all of the smart devices in your home to suit your preferences, all the while saving some serious coin on your energy costs.

4. Home automation can help you “unclutter” your mind by taking care of certain mundane daily tasks.

This is one of the most pleasantly surprising benefits of home automation. Many of us don’t realize how much time in our day is taken up with performing repetitive, mundane tasks that could be completely eliminated if we had smart home technology working for us. For example, if it’s your job to make the nightly rounds to ensure that all of the doors are locked and lights are turned off, how much better would it be to program your keyless locks to automatically perform those tasks after a certain time of night? With BeHome247, you could create a scenario called “bedtime,” where your keyless locks will automatically lock, and specific lights would turn off automatically in preparation for a good night’s sleep. With a couple of taps of the screen, you could save yourself the trouble of slogging through the nightly routine, so that you can get on with the business of getting some shut-eye.