Top Smart Home Technologies for 2021

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Are you thinking of investing in a new construction home? This is a great time to think about building it smarter. Unlike retrofitting an existing home with smart add-ons, new construction gives you the opportunity to integrate smart technology directly into the home's function and feel. Here are some top smart home technologies everyone is requesting right now in new homes.

Smart Lighting

Instead of just having one smart bulb lamp in your existing home, you could have a builder put smart lighting throughout your home, so no matter what room you're in, you can manage the lighting by voice or smartphone. You can often program lighting preferences for individuals and allow multiple people to manage the lighting through voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant.

Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats are more than programmable thermostats. At a very basic level, they allow you to manage your thermostat from anywhere, but you can also get thermostats that can learn about your energy usage and help you become more energy-efficient without sacrificing comfort.

Smart Security/Monitoring

You can certainly pay for remote monitoring through a company if you want that added protection. But today's smart security systems are designed to make DIY monitoring an option. They can inform you when your package arrives, alert you of an unauthorized entry, detect water leaks, provide doorbell video services and more to keep your home and family safe. 

Smart Locks

You can get smart locks as part of a whole-home security system or as a stand-alone. Smart locks can safely let a delivery person or guest inside and lock the door behind them when they leave. They can unlock your door automatically when you or an authorized person walks up to the door, so you don't have to worry about fumbling for your keys or phone when you're carrying a bag of groceries. You can also unlock smart locks when an app either at the door or remotely.

Smart Faucets

With smart faucets, you can pre-select how much water comes out when you wash your hands to avoid waste. You can activate the faucet via sensors or voice and get usage reports to understand where you're washing money down the drain. 

Smart Appliances

From the dishwasher to the dryer, appliances are now connected devices you can manage through voice or smartphone. These can help you more efficiently manage your cleaning and food prep time. If you're buying a new home, make sure it has smart appliances in it. 

Smart Meters

If your home produces some of its own energy, in some communities, you can sell the excess back to the electric company when your system produces more than you need and then use that money to pay for electricity when your usage is outpacing production. You could see a negative amount owed on your next electric bill with this smart technology.

Features for all of these technologies vary by brand, so be sure to read what the smart technology can do to make sure you get the features you want and check reviews to make sure they work as they're supposed to since a lot of these technologies are newer.