How to save having a smart home: 6 investments to lower consumption and gain comfort

Silvana Saldisuri

07/08/2021 6:00 AM

• Clarín.com

• Services

Updated 07/08/2021 6:00 AM

The

technology

progresses in a dizzying way so it is increasingly possible to have the house of the future.

A

smart home

is not science fiction, and automating the various functions of home devices can start with a

small investment.

Heating, lighting or many household appliances

can be controlled

via an application on mobile phones, tablets or by voice commands.

With this, it is possible to reduce the consumption of electricity, gas and water, and improve the safety and comfort of the house.

These systems can be run

remotely or inside the home

, with wireless or wired procedures.

This is possible through

home automation,

a

system that automates and controls various household functions.

For it to work, the main requirement is that there is a good Internet connection.

It doesn't take a huge investment to make a home smart.

Photo: Clarín Archive

"A

smarthome

is a house that

incorporates intelligence and internet connectivity between different sensors and actuators.

The sensors can be light, to know if it is day or night or if it is cloudy, ambient temperature, or the alarm opening a door ".

"While an actuator is an element that produces an action, such as turning on a device (light, stove, gate) or modifying the temperature of the air conditioning," explained the Director of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering of ITBA,

Miguel Aguirre

, to

Bugle

.

"The sensors and actuators allow to automate processes, such as turning on the coffee machine at a certain time, lowering the blinds when it is very cold in winter or very hot in summer," he explained.

In that sense, Aguirre stressed that "

a large investment is not needed to make a smart home

and in the case of wanting to transform a standard house, it can be done little by little: as one modifies the different household appliances, one can add technology. and controllability to operate the devices from a device ".

Currently

there are many options

, which connect with the

Google

(Google Home),

Amazon

(Alexa) systems and some even offer their programming codes for the user to make their own applications.

How much does it cost to have a smart home?

There are different options,

more or less economical,

that fit everyone's pocket and what one wants to implement.

It depends on the

needs and tastes of the user, one can

program the lights

so that they turn off or on when entering the environment, or that they gradually turn on as night falls.

In addition to, for example,

remotely opening or closing the window blinds

so that, in winter, during the cold, the sun enters the house and the environment is comfortable.

On the other hand, a smarthome offers a lot when it comes to

security.

As is the case with

automated gates

, which can be opened remotely, after checking the cameras from the cell phone and ensuring that there are no risk factors.

Currently there are many options, which connect with the Google (Google Home), Amazon (Alexa) systems.

Photo: Clarín Archive

"Today a

controller for a lamp

has a value between $ 500 and $ 1,000. There are four-lamp controllers for $ 1,500 or $ 2,000, although they can also be used for everything that is

turned on or off

, such as a gate or a shutter. All of them connect to each other with the internet of the house, so both inside or outside the house, one can monitor the state of the home and take action, "said Aguirre from ITBA.

"There are

more advanced controllers

that, for example, allow you to

regulate the color of an LED lamp

so that you can choose, depending on your habits, which shade is best for you: whiter light at midday that allows you to work better, while at dusk the light can become more reddish and yellowish, simulating the sunset, "he added.

"These applications can

undoubtedly

contribute to

saving energy

, because the user can program the use. But the great benefit is in taking advantage of the energy consumed to obtain much more

comfort and well-being

, since the devices are used in a way that they are enjoyed more, "he stressed.

To get an idea of ​​costs, the CEO of the Haustech company that develops home automation projects in houses and apartments in Argentina,

Darío Kasvine

, explained that to install a complete central intelligent system of lighting, lock, music and radio, and interactive TV there is to calculate between

$ 5,000 and $ 10,000 per meter2

.

In an apartment of 70 m2 it would mean an investment from $ 350,000.

However, he clarified that "this could not be done all at once but

in stages

. You can make a predictability to incorporate at first the lighting of the main rooms of the house and leave the secondary rooms for later. to allow not to disburse all the money at once ".

However, there will be those who decide to

start small

or with a particular object.

In this sense, although the results will not be the same, it will be possible to acquire one smart element at a time, and thus achieve in the long term transform a house to add more comfort to the home.

What are the 6 investments that can be made to have a smart home?

1- Heating and air conditioning system:

With smart and connected thermostats, heating systems and even air conditioning can be controlled remotely, optimizing comfort at home while controlling energy consumption.

The price of an Intelligent and programmable Wi-fi thermostat can vary between

$ 20,000 and $ 50,000

.

2- Security cameras:

  There are many applications of intelligent systems in the field of home security.

One of them is that of security cameras, which allow recording and talking through the device, functions that can be very useful for a wide variety of situations.

Intelligent security camera system.

Photo: Clarín Archive.

The price of a security camera can vary

between $ 5,000 and $ 20,000

each, or a

kit of 4 cameras from $ 50,000

.

3- Accessibility:

between security and comfort, new technologies also allow the inclusion of facial and fingerprint recognition systems to replace or complement traditional locks.

These ideas can be of great help to people with disabilities.

A fingerprint and facial recognition access control device can be had from

$ 40,000 to $ 130,000

.

4- Virtual voice assistants: 

another of the fundamental elements of a smart home.

Beyond the possibilities they offer in themselves, these devices allow managing a large part of the rest of the elements of a domotic home, which makes them the center of the connected home.

Prices for voice assistants range from $

10,000 to $ 30,000

.

5- Automatic feeder for dogs or cats:

if you are away from home for a long time, incorporating a programmable feeder into the home is a good option.

Automatic pet feeder.

Photo: Clarín Archive

Automatic pet feeders start at

$ 10,000 to $ 20,000.

6- Conserve water with smart sprinklers:

in the case of houses with gardens, the lawn requires a lot of energy, water and time to maintain it.

A highly customizable, programmable sprinkler control system to save water starts at

$ 5,000

.

LN

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