3 Smart Home Systems for The Best Return on Your Investment

If you’re prepared to sink potentially thousands of dollars into a home automation system, it would be nice to know you’ll get some return on that investment. While smart home technology is aimed more at improving your lifestyle than your bottom line, these devices can still help you see significant savings, which is a good way to offset the initial cost of setting up the system.

But which devices give you the best return for your money? That’s the question this blog seeks to answer. To learn which gadgets offer the best value for your Lexington, KY smart home system, read on.

SEE ALSO: 5 OF THE BEST TIPS FOR USING A CONTROL4 SMART HOME SYSTEM

MOTORIZED SHADES

We wrote recently about the potential savings from motorized shades, in how they help keep your home at a more stable temperature throughout the day, but some of the information bears repeating. After all, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that nearly half of a typical homeowner’s utility costs are due to keeping a residence heated and insulated.

By using a network of sensors and timers, you can take maximum advantage of the available light in your home. In the winter that means leaving the shades open for as much of the day as possible to help heat your home, while in the summer you can keep your shades lowered until it cools down outside. Most motorized shades use better materials for insulation than typical shades, which helps negate the heat from the sun in summer and keep warm inside in cooler months.

SMART THERMOSTATS

Programmable thermostats may have been around for some time now, but they’ve been clunky to install and use. A new generation of smart thermostats has changed this dynamic, mostly by eliminating the need for you to do much of anything at all.

A typical smart thermostat from a company like Nest can automatically determine when you’re at home or work, what temperature you like for your home or a specific room throughout the day, and optimize your heating and cooling patterns for maximum efficiency. If you want a bit more control, smart thermostats are still fully programmable and, in many cases, can be adjusted using your smartphone without you needing to get up from the couch.

LIGHTING CONTROL

Lighting control systems are another topic we’ve previously addressed at some length, but they are still one of the easiest and best ways to upgrade your home’s energy efficiency and interior design. A report from the Lighting Control Association estimates that using occupancy sensors, dimmers, daylight harvesting and other techniques can lead to a 38 percent savings on your energy costs. The logic of the report certainly makes sense; occupancy sensors save you from wasting energy when nobody is in a room, while dimmers give you more flexibility in terms of how much energy you spend to light a space.

An even better benefit of lighting control is how well these systems integrate with other smart home devices. Lighting control systems and motorized shades are natural partners, as both forms of smart home technology involve how much light (either natural or artificial) is being used in a room. And of course, the amount of sunlight hitting a room will impact the temperature in that room, which is more data for your smart thermostat to help it better regulate your energy usage throughout your home.

While these devices may not be the most glamorous examples of home automation, they are some of the most practical and offer the most immediate return on your investment. To learn more about these devices or other smart home systems for your Lexington, KY home, call Rely Technology at (859) 402-1413, fill out our online contact form or click on the chat box in the lower-right corner of your screen.