Smart House Facts
It wasn't that long ago that a house that regulates itself seemed decades into the future. Smart home technology is very real; while it's not that old, it's possible to make any house into a "smart" house. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Smart house technology rethinks some of the most vital conponents of a house. The idea of a smart house began to be seriously pursued in the early 1980s by the National Research Center of the National Association of Home Builders. As the project was explored, major benefits began to reveal themselves.
Benefits
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Smart house technology balances power use and makes it safer. A smart house is safer than a standard house; electricity is supplied to those parts of the house that only have active appliances, eliminating the chance of accidental electrocution. This technology also eliminates the needs for many adapters, including those that are required to change the voltage between currents that run large appliances like refrigerators and small electronics like laptop computers. This wiring system also regulates the power supplied to each electronic, and by regulating use to hours with lower usage rates, there is an economic benefit.
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Features
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Smart homes help take care of themselves. On the user's end, smart home technology will regulate the home's temperature by lowering the thermostat when the occupants have gone to bed. It will turn lights on and off, arm and monitor burglar alarms, and turn on water heaters before family members typically shower. It also extends to entertainment, with televisions connected throughout the house allowing family members to record a show in one room and watch it in another.
Potential
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Smart house technology can help individuals retain their independence. Groups are looking into the possibilities of smart home technology lending a helping hand to senior citizens, and prolonging the time an aging individual can function comfortably in their own home. One study, headed by the Aging & Technology Research Center at the University at Buffalo in New York includes the use of door and window security, computer-operated appliances, motion control lighting, and remote-control emergency calling, all retro fit into existing homes in as few as three hours.
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References
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