Now that the holiday season is over, many of us are already looking forward to spring. The gray days of a Pacific Northwest winter can feel long and gloomy. If you have a smart home automation system, however, there are many ways to brighten the long days and optimize your home in winter weather.
At All Systems Integrated Northwest, we offer advanced smart home technologies that help you simplify daily life. Let’s explore some smart home tips to help you make the most of your automation system for the rest of winter.
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Smart Home Tips to Make Winter Easier
A smart home system has countless tools and tricks. Many people only scratch the surface of their system’s potential, and still find it life-changing! But why not take full advantage of your smart technology to make your daily life simpler and safer? Here are five smart home tips to help you combat winter blues.
1: Set Alarms Based on Weather
One of the best smart home tips for convenience and protection in winter is to set alarms and reminders based on the weather. If your system is connected to a weather app, a thermostat, or both, there are several ways you can use it to make life easier when the weather is unpleasant. Here are some ideas for weather-based alarms or reminders.
- Alerts for certain types of weather. You may wish to know about low temperatures, high rain volume, snow, or other specific weather events. Simply set an alert for whatever weather conditions you want to know about ahead of time.
- A reminder to protect your pipes in freezing weather. If your system can read the inside temperature, you could have it alert you when temperatures in the basement or other vulnerable areas drop too low. You could also set it to alert you of winter storms or freezing spells that might put your pipes at risk of freezing and bursting. With this alert, you can take precautions like turning the heat up, running water through the pipes, and insulating them.
- Reminders for plants, pets, and property in upcoming rain or snow. A heads-up that heavy rain or snow is coming can give you a chance to bring in plants, let the dog in, put the car in the garage, or shut the windows.
2: Use a Smart Thermostat and Smart Blinds to Save Energy
A smart thermostat is particularly helpful in your smart home arsenal during winter. For starters, it’s incredibly convenient–you can adjust and control your home’s temperature from your smartphone, wherever you are, or by voice command. But a smart thermostat also helps you save energy and cut electricity costs. It learns your habits and preferences over time to keep the house comfortable when you’re home while lowering heat usage for efficiency when you’re away.
Smart blinds from Hunter Douglas have similar benefits for your electricity bill and home life. They can adjust automatically to let in more sun during the gray winter months, or less during the summer for energy efficiency. You can have that same convenient control over your window shades and blinds from your phone–no need to get up on a lazy Saturday morning to adjust the blinds!
3: Wake Up Easier with Smart Lighting
For many, the short daylight hours of winter means they leave for work in the dark and come home in the dark. That can take a toll on your mood and even your wakefulness, as lighting plays a role in our circadian rhythm. Bright light helps you wake up and feel alert, while dimming lights helps you fall asleep.
If you find it difficult to wake up on dark mornings, try setting the lights to brighten gradually before your alarm goes off. You can use a bright lamp that’s designed to mimic sunlight for the best results.
4: Keep it Cozy with Presets
Just as you can set reminders and alerts based on the weather, you can also use preset environmental controls to keep your home comfortable on wintry days. Consider setting the fireplace or ambiant lighting to turn on whenever it rains or snows. You could even have your smart home system turn on a soothing playlist or aroma diffuser on rainy days.
Dreary, rainy winters are unavoidable in the Puget Sound area, but you can make the most of it with cozy presets on your smart home system.
5: Simplify School Schedules and Home Security
For parents, the winter months also bring the challenges of school schedules. A smart home automation and security system makes these challenges easy to navigate. You can use calendars and alerts to keep everyone on track for deadlines, outings, and homework. If your kids get home from school before you get home from work, a home security system helps you rest easy. You can see when they return and make the sure the doors are locked behind them.
Beyond school, there are many smart home tips you can use to make family life easier. Consider setting bedtime routines or managing entertainment devices, even when you’re not home to supervise. With smart home automation, you never need to leave your kids a long list of reminders and worry whether or not it’ll be followed–you can control security, temperature, devices, and more, all from your phone.
Make the Most of Your Smart Home with ASI
These winter smart home tips are just the beginning. Our personalized, seamlessly integrated smart home systems are designed to make your daily life simpler and safer, tailored to the needs of your house and family. Contact All Systems Integrated today to learn more about smart home automation and our modern solutions for a simplified life.
