Best tech for houses in 2020
Everyone would like to add a few high-tech amenities to their home. Technology has come a long way in the past decade.
Now tech features lower prices for some of the most popular add-ons for houses, like security systems, green energy systems, home lifts and self-cleaning robotics.
Here’s a look at the top five tech improvements that homeowners are making for their houses in 2020 and beyond:
Smart window systems
So-called smart windows come in two major varieties: energy-saving and security-enhancing. The green window systems currently showing up everywhere are a bit on the pricey side but homeowners report being able to reduce heating and cooling bills by as much as 60 percent. That means that even a high-end amenity like this one can pay for itself in less than three years and add long-term resale value to virtually any structure.
Home lifts
One of the most active niches of the residential technology market is residential lift installation. Just a decade ago, home lifts were a rarity. Today, they’re showing up in new housing developments all over the world as consumers seek out ways to avoid climbing dangerous staircases. Lifts also add a significant boost to the potential resale value of properties where they’re installed. Real estate agents report that homeowners who invest in this technology typically get all the money back, or more, when they decide to sell their dwelling. High-tech home lifts are becoming more common in newer homes. Even owners of older houses are opting to add lifts for convenience and to boost resale value.
Programmable thermostats
Smart thermostats are the clear winners of the cheapest high-tech item to put in your dwelling because they cost less than the price of an average week’s groceries. What can they do? Lots of things, like set your high and low temperatures at different points every day of the week, command the system to shut down when there’s a power surge, run the fan only function when summer heat reaches a certain level, and much more.
Advanced security systems
New and old structures are prime candidates for security upgrades. One of the best things about security tech is that it’s easy to add to any kind of structure. Some of the best-selling packages on the market are ones you can purchase and install yourself. They include surveillance cameras for indoors and outdoors, window/door alarms and motion detectors for both front and back yards, all monitored on your computer or smartphone.
Self-cleaning robotic components
Self-cleaning swimming pool devices led the way in this industry niche more than two decades ago. Now it seems as if every conceivable part of a home is subject to one or another type of self-cleaning gadget or gizmo. In fact, one of the best-selling home appliances in both 2018 and 2019 was the robotic vacuum. At least a dozen manufacturers have jumped into this financially lucrative segment and are selling robo-vacs faster than they can build them. Some of the newer wrinkles of innovation include carpet-vacuums that are entirely automatic and can even work while you are on vacation, tub-scrubbers that get a messy job done in about five minutes, and tile cleaners for kitchens and wherever you have stone flooring in your home.
