6 Ways Home Automation Systems Save You Money
by A. Akin
Home automation will make your home smarter and your life easier, but is it smart for your budget? Consider these ways an investment in home automation technology can help you save.
As home automation becomes increasingly popular, many people are wondering if investing in the technology is worth it. The fact is, that aside from the convenience it offers, home automation technology can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Here are six reasons you may want to consider investing in home automation to make your home a bit smarter:
1. Smoke Detection
According to the US Fire Administration, almost three out of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes that contained no smoke detectors. Hopefully, your home is well-equipped with smoke detectors. So why would you want to consider smart smoke detectors?
You can pair smart smoke detectors with your smartphone, making sure you can detect smoke in your home even if you are miles away. You stand a chance of losing more without such a system. An opportunistic fire may wipe out all of your property in just minutes. Plus a fire that is not spotted early enough may put your life and those of family members in danger.
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2. Break-In Prevention and Porch Pirate Notification
According to the FBI, there are approximately 2.5 million household burglaries each year. A break-in and burglary could cost you thousands. The same goes for porch piracy, a costly trend that has dramatically increased as online shopping needs have increased.
Smart home security systems enable you to see and monitor your home remotely, usually through the use of an app on your phone. You can lock your doors from thousands of miles away and be notified of possible porch pirates before they rob you of your latest deliveries.
Security cameras connected to your automation system will activate an alarm and notify your monitoring company when it detects someone attempting to enter your home and a break-in can be averted.
3. Improved Energy-Efficiency
Home automation can help you improve energy-efficiency in your home. You can program your thermostat with different temperature preferences throughout the day to ensure that you’re using as little energy as possible. One home automation company, ecobee, estimates that their US customers save up to 26% on heating and cooling costs through the use of smart thermostats (based on an internal analysis of their home automation customers).
Home automation also lets you turn off lights remotely and you can program electrical outlets and specific devices in your home to automatically power down to save energy costs. While such savings may seem small, they do add up to quite a bit over time.
4. Water Damage Prevention
Water damage can be a costly problem for homeowners.
Home automation technology is so remarkable that it can notify you of water leakage you might not otherwise spot so that you can take action to stop it before it becomes a bigger problem. This is achieved with the aid of smart devices equipped with sensors that report the presence of moisture in your home where it shouldn’t be.
Such a system can save you the financial headaches of needlessly high water bills or water damage repairs.
Related: 21 Ways To Save Water and Money
5. Time Savings
If you believe that time is money, then home automation is the right technology for you because it can save you both.
With a home automation system in place, you won’t need to return home if you think you may have left the stove on or forgot to lock the garage door. These things can be done remotely on your smartphone.
6. Insurance Rate Reductions
Home automation may reduce the cost of your homeowners insurance. With smart smoke detectors and smart security cameras in place along with other smart gadgets, your insurer may offer a lower rate. (See Homeowners Insurance Basics Every Homeowner Should Know to compare rates.)
Reviewed March 2024
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