Automated thermostat, lights and small appliance controls can help lower your utility bill

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Home automation systems are giving homeowners more control over their home security systems. Home automation can also help you manage many of your home’s operations. With automated thermostat, lights and small appliance controls, you can actually lower your monthly utility bill and get more life out of your appliances.

There are a growing number of national and regional system providers who offer a full range of home automation systems. Some of these systems are add-ons and upgrades to traditional and hardwired home security systems. More and more are offering wireless home automation systems that can be controlled and monitored through a cellular or Internet-based system.

Any home automation system should offer you at least the option of “energy and environmental” controls. These are the components that can help you manage and curb your energy use.

Thermostats – probably the most obvious area of energy savings, automated thermostat controls can help you regulate the use of heating and cooling systems. You can pre-set times when heating or cooling systems turn on or off. You can set specific sectors of your home that will receive heat or cooling. You can link heating and cooling systems of your home with home security system monitoring that tracks extreme weather or temperature changes. With an automated system, you can even send a signal to your home’s heating or cooling systems while you’re headed home from work for a more comforting homecoming.

Lighting – home automation system can allow you to control the timing and duration of when lights go on and off in your house. As with thermostats, you can pre-set times and even pre-set sections of your home where lights will go on and off. You can also connect time or motion sensors to your lighting that will trigger lights only when people are using a room. Automated lighting systems can also serve as an additional home security feature, triggering lights to go on and off in your home while you’re away for extended periods of time thus giving the impression that your house is not unoccupied.

Small appliances – automating some of your appliances can really help you curb utility bills. Many appliances are constantly “using” energy, even when you think they aren’t on.  You can automate appliances to be in “passive” or “energy savings” mode when not in use. You can also use home automation to set or pre-set any audio-visual settings for a home theater system.

 

If you’re considering adding home automation systems to a new or existing home security system, Reply! can help you by putting you in contact with local home security and automation professionals.