Comfort enhancing smart devices

Here are a few smart devices you could use to smartly accessorize your house in order to improve your comfort. The devices are affordable and readily available through online order. They are also very easy to install with limited or no need for help.

Smart Heating and Cooling

Do you want to save on costs and at the same time warm up your house or cool it down at the comfort of your bed? Do you desire a heating and cooling system that not monitor and track your energy use but also can advise you on how to effectively save on energy? Seek no more and try out these appliances;

1. The Emerson Sensi WiFi Smart Thermostat

Smart air conditioning

Functions

Performs conventional heating and cooling functions such of the;

  • Gas Furnace
  • Electric Furnace
  • Boiler
  • Air Conditioner

Pros

  • Is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Homekit, Samsung SmartThings
  • Is energy star certified enabling you to save on HVAC costs by monitoring energy usage
  • Pretty easy to set up with step by step instructions from the app
  • Offers remote control
  • Sends smart alerts
  • Can be operated with the Sensi app on the phone which works great in setting up the settings of the thermostat
  • No requirement for a c-wire
  • Connects easily to wifi networks with no issues and no delay in signals

Cons

  • You have to say exactly the words ‘Alexa, set thermostat to,…’ for the thermostat to work effectively with the Amazon voice assistant.
  • If you have no experience with A/C wiring, you may incur some costs in paying a company to perform the wiring for you.

2. The Nest Thermostat

Smart air conditioner thermostat

Functions

  • Effectively controls the temperature of your house as you would like
  • Ensures that either all rooms have the same temperature or a room has a specific set temperature according to your preferences through a sensor
  • Displays the ambient temperature in a big and sharp display
  • Saves your energy

Pros

  • Nest thermostat learns the temperature you like and builds a schedule around it
  • It tracks the energy spent and clearly shows how much energy has been spent and on which day. This helps with saving energy (about 10% - 12% of heating bills and 15% of cooling bills)
  • You can be able to set the desired temperature to a specific room by the use of a sensor paced in that room e.g. the room where the baby is sleeping
  • Comes with a 1-year warranty
  • Quick and easy installation through a user friendly app and apt instruction in the packaging kit
  • Can be controlled remotely through the user friendly app

Cons

  • The sensor costs are not included in the overall thermostat costs
  • If you have no prior experience with HVAC, then you may need to get a professional to do the installation for you
  • Works well with low voltage systems, may have issues with high voltage systems

Smart comfort does not limit the use of light to only sight. Through smart lighting, you will be able to create the desired ambience and offer great decorations. Winding down applications also help with sleep routines and calming down anxiety episodes. Here is an appliance:

3. AL Above Lights Smart Bulb

Smart bulb

Functions

  • Allows you to take control of all the lights in your house through a free app and voice commands.
  • Is designed with over 16 million different colors to choose from depending on your mood or desired needs.
  • Allow for the brightness to be adjusted depending on need to save on energy

Pros

  • Can be controlled with these voice assistants; Amazon Alexa, Echo, Google Home, to turn them on and off or change color and brightness.
  • Saves energy through various means up to 80% of previous energy use.
  • Is a long life span bulb and can be able to achieve 35000 hours
  • The white light can be just as bright as any other regular light bulbs
  • Is very easy to program according to desired needs
  • Is quite simple to install and also hook up to the voice assistants
  • Has a time setting feature where they can turn themselves on or off at a specific set time

You will be able to remotely turn your appliances on and off and even schedule their use. These smart plugs also monitor energy use and in general will help you reduce stress that comes from the use of appliances, have off extra minutes by having appliances begin working before you do and helping you feel more relaxed.

4. The Kasa Smart Outdoor Plug KP400

Smart outdoor plug

Functions

  • Used to plug in appliances for both indoor and outdoor functions e.g. landscape lighting , swimming pool lights and holiday lights
  • Contains double outlets for more appliance plug ins
  • Allows you to control the plug to turn on and off the appliances remotely via a smartphone with device grouping or via voice commands

Pros

  • Is water-resistant and weatherproof – is designed to face downwards in such a way that water drips off of it and not into the plug
  • Has a long wifi range for its control from the house if in use for outdoor means
  • Is quite easy to set up to the voice assistants (Amazon Alexa and Google Home)
  • The app is user friendly and quite easily accessible from scanning the QR code on the package
  • The hardware is well made, versatile and very dependable
  • Has two separate channels for versatility
  • The two separate plugins can be controlled differently through the app at the same time

Cons

  • Designed to work at a maximum of 120VAC at 15A which should not be exceeded
  • Can only perform remote switching on and off and not adjusting of voltage or dimming of lights