Home automation is a growing trend, and its main selling point is usually the way in which it makes our lives easier. However, home automation can also have a number of positive environmental benefits. Here we take a look at three such advantages.
Power timers and motion sensors
Outdoor lights can be controlled by a power timer so that they are switched off in the day and turned on during the night. Similarly, motion sensors on outdoor lights mean that they are only switched on when needed. Inside the house, motion sensors can detect when a room is empty and switch off the lights, turn the thermostat down and even lock the doors and windows.
Automatically adjust your thermostat
Some people just can’t resist a thermostat. We have all woken in the middle of the night roasting hot because someone didn’t turn the heating down after they had become chilly and boosted the heating for a while. Home automation systems can prevent this by automatically setting the temperature on a given schedule. For example, you may want the temperature set to 16 degrees at night and 20 degrees in the morning until everyone goes out to work, at which point the heating switches off altogether. This kind of system can drastically reduce the amount of electricity or gas used. Home Automation Companies such as http://digitalinteriors.co.uk can even set you up with an app that allows you to control your lighting and heating from your smartphone. For more information on how you can save money by improving the efficiency of your heating, visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/home-energy-efficiency/heating-and-hot-water.
Automate your lighting
We all forget to switch off a light now and again, but home automation can take care of that for us. We can set a light to automatically switch off after a certain amount of time, after a set time of day, or even if no motion is detected for 10, 20 or 30 minutes. The level of lighting can also be automated so that your lights automatically dim in the evening for a cosier atmosphere.
Anything that saves money on fuel also helps the environment, and home automation systems are a great way to make life easier, save some money and do your part to help the planet at the same time.