What’s the Single Most Useful Smart Home Feature?

Smart homes are climbing up the ladder in terms of popularity — and it makes perfect sense when you think about it. Not only do you have the ability to check in on your security system, temperature, lights, sprinklers, and many other aspects of your home from anywhere in the world using your favorite tablet or smartphone — you can also rely on these systems to actively learn patterns of energy usage and provide valuable ways to cut down on monthly expenses.

But with all the exciting things happening in home automation, it’s common to be a little confused about the various features and amenities, and which ones would be most practical in your particular case.

Let’s put it another way: What’s the single most useful “smart home” feature? Is there a general consensus about at least one smart home feature that’s useful to virtually every homeowner?

Different priorities for different lifestyles

In the current market, a majority of homeowners seem to feel that smart thermostats represent the biggest gains and the best overall value in terms of home automation technology. There’s a very simple reason for this: People spend a lot of money on heating and cooling their homes every year. Smart thermostats take your HVAC system to a whole new level of efficiency and control, resulting in tangible savings every month.

But there are other candidates — smart home security, for example. With the technology that’s currently on the market, you can check in on your home via camera from virtually any location, using your tablet, phone or laptop. This kind of real time monitoring is useful for many different reasons; it also allows you to review footage more easily. Motion sensors can tell the camera to record whenever there is movement in a room, and automatically send the video clips to your chosen email address. That’s what taking home security to the next level looks like.

Smart locks are another feature. With these systems integrated into your home, you no longer have to worry about getting locked out of your home if you forget your keys. You also have the luxury of unlocking your home from far away if you want to let a friend or family member inside to pick something up. You can also use this system to open and close your garage door, as well.

Sprinklers, lighting systems, entertaining and sound systems — the list goes on. But if we had to choose a winner right now, it’s hard to beat the energy savings and personal comforts of an expertly installed smart thermostat system.

Regardless of which features and amenities are at the top of your list, hiring a professional home automation specialist is a worthy consideration. Why would you need an expert to help you select home automation systems and install them for you? If you’ve ever tried to install and integrate multiple home automation systems by yourself, you already know the answer. A specialist guarantees that you get the most out of your money and a clear answer to every question. With the increasing desire for smart homes in American homes, expert installation and integration support arguably gets you a better return on your home automation investment.