Photo credit: Jeffery a. Davis Photography
Whether your home was built in the 70s or last year, today’s innovative technologies allow you to transform any home into a smart home. Smart devices convert the everyday dwelling into a connected, intuitive space elevating your family’s comfort and often the overall energy efficiency of your home. Ready to improve your space? Below we detail a few easy steps to give you the smart home experience.
Step 1: Start with a Smart Home Device
Hub platforms such as Amazon Echo or Google Home are well-recognized smart home devices. They offer a relatively inexpensive way to manage your home’s lighting, entertainment, energy use, appliances and security through a singular interface. Even if you’re looking for something a little less comprehensive, most brands offer “mini” devices (like the Echo Dot) you can place in various rooms and tailor for specific functions. You only need a WiFi connection to get started.
Step 2: Replace Traditional Lighting with Smart Lightbulbs
Lighting accounts for 15% of the average home’s electricity use and can drastically affect your productivity and mood. By swapping harsh, traditional incandescent lights for Led smart bulbs, you can save energy and get a more customized lighting experience. Change lighting color, set schedules and group bulbs together to turn off and on at the same time, or dim with a simple voice command.
Step 3: Integrate Appliances into Your Smart Home Device
These days, most appliance brands are getting smart upgrades. From refrigerators autopopulating your grocery list to washing machines using AI to determine wash and drying cycle needs — there’s a smart appliance for just about everything! However, you’ll get the most bang for your buck by selecting appliances designed for energy efficiency and maximum comfort.
HVAC is essential for comfort and can account for up to 40% of your home’s yearly energy expenses. Nothing is worse than a lousy HVAC system, whether the weather is freezing or scorching. All-electric heat pumps offer energy-efficient, precise temperature control through set zones (or living spaces) within your home. This efficiency is only enhanced with our kumo cloud® app, allowing homeowners to set schedules, turn off mini-split indoor units in empty rooms, and automatically engage supplemental heat when extreme weather strikes (with the kumo station® platform addition). Our mini-split heat pump technology can pair with smart hubs such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home through kumo cloud.
Even better — no more messing with the thermostat. Temperature management is simplified with a voice command or using the kumo cloud app.
By making incremental appliance upgrades and simple swaps, you and your family can enjoy a customized home environment tailored to your needs while saving energy. To learn more about our mini-split heat pump systems, check out MitsubishiComfort.com.
