3 Reasons A Smart Home is a Smart Investment

November 20th, 2019

Has the continued integration of technology finally pushed the smart home from conceptual possibility to value-add for your life?  For increasing numbers of people, the answer is yes.

 In the early days of home technology, the experience of the “connected” home often proved anything but. 

 Early adopters were promised integrated solutions but were frequently disappointed as early iterations failed to deliver.  Most consisted of value-adds rooted in product silos driven by appliance manufacturers. This often meant individual appliances, each controlled by a separate app and each with a standalone connection to the family Wi-Fi.

 While this meant that you were able to set your refrigerator one degree colder with a single smartphone click from anywhere on the planet, the question remained— why would you want to?

 Yet despite these humble beginnings, home technology has evolved greatly in the past decade.  Driven largely by the rise of the digital assistant and the centralized administration these solutions provide, home tech has gone mainstream.

 Today’s solutions are delivering a truly connected home with innovations driven by three key benefits:

1. Increased Physical Security

 One of the most common benefits users are seeing from smart home technology is added security.  Keeping our homes, possessions, and family safe is increasingly a technological quest that can be aided by gadgets and apps.  Smart homes deliver wireless security systems, secure points of entry, smart lighting, video doorbells, and much more.   

 This functionality can help answer questions like:

• Did my teenager get the garage door down?
• What happened to the Amazon package they say they delivered?
• How can I call for help when my phone isn’t handy?

For most, a virtual assistant is the first step toward a connected home, but statistically, home security is the next most popular driver.  This is because the options are many and the results speak for themselves. For a relatively low-cost, homeowners can purchase some peace of mind.

2. Energy Efficiency

Another key uptick that is driving families to consider the smart home is overall efficiency.  Imagine an intelligent thermostat that uses artificial intelligence to keep your family comfortable but also manages energy costs when you aren’t around.  No need to program this thermostat, most can simply learn your patterns over time.

 Similarly, imagine hallway lights that sense when you are up in the night and light your path.  Or a virtual assistant standing by to turn on a television or adjust the music with only the sound of your voice.  

 Additionally, lawn irrigation systems can now behave efficiently by offering remote configuration or sensors that determine when it last rained.  Features like these can keep your smart home both comfortable and efficient.

3. Integration and Flexibility

 Perhaps the most promising benefit driving smart home adoption is the fact that the solutions are truly scalable.  No matter your entry point to smart home technology you can typically add new functionality relatively quickly and inexpensively.  Whereas most other technology investments are large on the front end, smart home tech need not be. 

 In this manner, integrating a platform to run a smart home can be cost-effective when deployed during a home’s construction.  As options continue to expand over time, participation can be scaled accordingly. In short, there is room to grow with the technology. 

Smart Homes and Centra

 At Centra Homes we are always striving to meet the needs of the families we serve.  We are also excited about the potential shown by integrated in-home technology. Because of this, we’ve spent significant time and resources over the past six months investigating smart home technology options.  This research includes reviewing our client survey feedback and vetting various providers and packages.

 Our conclusion is that a subset of our client base is very interested in adding smart home options.  Therefore, we are excited to announce that we launched included smart home technology in every home as well as optional smart home solutions for our newest communities.  

Interested families will now have a base smart home package that comes included in their new construction home as well as the option to select additional smart technology that is right for their new Centra home. We are excited to implement this new offering as we continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of our families.  

 For details on the new program and what communities offer smart technology, please speak directly with one of our expert guides.