How Technology is Making It Easier to Manage Your Home



The smart home is no longer just a concept, it is a reality and one that many of us are enjoying. But how can technology make managing the home easier?

Easier to keep warm WITHOUT massive heating bills!


A heating system with which you can interact at any time or night or day is essential in the modern day where energy and fuel are two of the most expensive items we buy. Essential they may be, but no one wants to spend more on heating their home than they need to.

Smart thermostats work with central heating, most modern boilers and heating systems such as underfloor heating kits too. Control the heat from your smartphone on a minute-by-minute basis if that’s what floats your boat or change it to match your own needs and that of the weather and so on.

Smart lighting – same luminosity, less expense


Again, lighting in the home is essential. With incandescent light bulbs no longer on sale, there are no other options other than energy efficient light bulbs. However, they need time to warm up to give the glow we need and so we are turning to LED lighting.

Because LEDs don’t produce heat as they glow, they can be put just about anywhere. Available in a range of formats too from in-set ceiling bulbs to rope lighting.

If that isn’t enough, with smart apps and Wi-Fi you can control your lights from your phone. And this doesn’t just mean setting a timer for when they come and off. You can set how bright they are too. Invest in higher end bulbs from well-known manufacturers are you can also change the colour of the lighting and set ‘rules’ too. So, your lights can flash when your football team scores in their latest match, when it has started to rain, when the washing machine has finished its cycle and so on.

Interactive CCTV


CCTV is nothing new. Invented in Germany during the Second World War as a means of monitoring what happened when fired rockets, it has since been put to better use in the home and manufacturing.

As you would expect, it is not a technology untouched by the latest innovations in the technological world. And yes, you’ve guessed it with a secure Wi-Fi connection and a corresponding app to the hardware purchased, you can install a CCTV system in and outside your home to stay connected with what is happening at your home, 24 hours a day. No matter where you are in the world, you can keep an eye on what the cat is doing, who is coming to the door and so on.

As well as CCTV, there are systems such as Ring, the doorbell with a camera that also helps you to keep an eye on deliveries and who is calling at your home.

Secure locks


An emerging technology is smart locks. A keypad entry is nothing new but they are becoming increasingly sophisticated with the possibility of setting 24-hour key codes to allow certain people access to your home if you are not there.

They are also ideal for children and young people who seem to have a knack of losing door keys on a frequent and alarming basis.

Vacuuming without the effort


Cleaning your home is essential when it comes to comfort but with so many of us busy with work and social functions, vacuuming is slotted in at odd hours of the day.

But what if you could ‘set off’ the vacuum to clean a certain room whilst you were at work? There are many more coming to the market but the RoboVac is enjoying good reviews. Stopping and changing direction when they come up against an object, these vacuums are smart in that some of them are learning the layout of rooms so that they gradually become more efficient at vacuuming the floor.

Maintain privacy with timed curtains and blind closing


Working late? Wish your lights were on and the curtains closed when you reached home? With some kits coming to market, you can do just that. Using your Hue lighting app (or whichever system you choose), you can put the lights on including the security light when you pull on the drive and also ask a corresponding app to close the curtains and blinds in the downstairs rooms or in just one room.

Many of these inventions – and there are more! – may sound gimmicky but it is amazing that once installed, just how useful they are in managing the home.

Underfloor Heating Trade Supplies offer everything needed to create and install a bespoke wet underfloor heating, a superior and luxurious way of heating any room in your home.

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