Today’s home technology is smarter than ever, providing homeowners comfort, convenience, security, and energy and financial savings.
Thermostats, lights and more can be controlled using your mobile device – from anywhere in the world. And, advances in lighting technology let you customize every space in the house to suit each room’s mood and purpose.
Check out Smart Home Automation in the Palm of Your Hand for more smart home trends.
Climate Control
Programmable thermostats have been around for a while, but the latest trend in home automation is the ability to control your home’s major systems remotely.
Carrier’s Infinity System Control can manage humidity levels, airflow, ventilation, indoor air quality, and up to eight zones for customized room-to-room comfort. The thermostat uses variable-speed technology, which means it uses a range of speeds to heat and cool your home intelligently and efficiently. The occupancy-sensing ability automatically selects comfort or energy-saving system settings, based on whether it detects motion, to maximize savings.
And, the app provides real-time energy tracking and reporting, so you can make the connection between your family’s comfort and energy bill.
The Infinity control features an easy-to-use interface and full-color touch screen. It’s also compatible with Amazon Alexa.
Lighting Automation
Your home’s thermostat isn’t the only thing you can manage using your smartphone or tablet. With Leviton’s Decora Smart family of devices, you can also control and schedule your home’s lights, lamps and appliances remotely with smart dimmers, switches and plug-in outlets.
Decora Smart devices provide safety, comfort and convenience using WiFi technology, so no hub is required. You can use the free My Leviton app to schedule your porch light to turn on at sunset each day, for instance.
Or, set the vacation mode to randomize your home’s lights, so potential intruders won’t know you’re away.
The devices support a wide range of load types, including LED and incandescent with multi-way capability, and can be paired with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.
High-Definition Lighting
With so many options in light bulbs, simply strolling down the aisle of the home center can be overwhelming.
GE’s HD lighting, available at Target, has made it easier for shoppers to choose the right bulb, with recommendations right on the box for use in specific rooms. So, changing the mood of a space can be as easy as changing the light bulb.
For example, Relax HD bulbs offer a warm, soft white light for comfortable moments and cozy spaces, like bedrooms, family rooms and dining rooms.
In contrast, Refresh HD bulbs offer a cool, invigorating light for energizing moments and active spaces, such as playrooms, home offices, laundry rooms and even outside. Reveal HD+ bulbs filter out dulling yellow light to provide color contrast and whiter whites, so they’re ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, as well as craft and hobby spaces. And, they offer energy savings and a long lifespan of LEDs.
