Whether you like it or not, the world is evolving and it was only a matter of time before our homes turned technical. The term ‘smart home’ has been penned, describing a place filled with Wi-Fi controlled gadgets and soon you’ll be able to control everything from your smartphone.

The main pull of smart homes is to live a little greener and provide safety and security. Smart home technologies can make homes sustainable and allow consumers to reduce energy spending. Smart meters are very common now and allow you to keep track of your daily energy consumption, these are provided by your energy supplier when they fit a smart meter in your home.

Interactivity and connectivity are helping families to manage their homes, lives and also security of their homes. Gadgets such as camera door bells and CCTV that are connected via WIFI to your mobile devices allow peace of mind when you are away from your home. For the elderly - there is an option for families to be notified when the door bell is rung too. This allows extra peace of mind that the family are on hand if a suspected cold caller or scammer were at the door.

When simple activities are automated, it leaves homeowners with more time to do the things they want. In theory, this provides a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfilment. Convenience can lead to laziness, but small benefits like these give homeowners the chance to do away with tedious tasks and participate in the ones they genuinely enjoy.

One benefit of smart home technology that many didn’t see coming is the improved lives of the elderly – allowing more independence and freedom than every before for those with impaired movement and control. The ability to complete tasks or even call for help when needed using simple voice control means that relatives can feel secure and happy in knowing the homeowner is safe.

Voice control lighting and electrical appliances allows ease of use for those who may not be as mobile as they once were.

Besides the obvious advantages of automated tasks and the ability to secure your home and family, there’s something else that the modern world of smart home technology brings. The Internet of everything is now a reality in today’s home life. With ‘every day use objects now connected to the Internet, we have a world of useful data and online trends at our fingertips – allowing us to optimise and streamline our daily activities to become better and more efficient than ever before.

Many call this the next step towards cyborg-ism, where human lives become so integrated with technology that we find that machines are almost a part of us, and definitely a major part of our lives, allowing us to transcend to smarter, better people.

Chances are you already use smart technology in many areas of your lives, whether at work, in the car, at the office, or doing the weekly food shop, and this has already become normalised in this day and age – so why not make your home a little smarter? Not only can it help make life a little easier, but you can track your own data and useage, and maybe even raise the value of your home!