If you’ve had a chance to tour LifeStyle Homes’ solar-powered Pineda Springs model home, chances are you’re now familiar with our “smart home” capabilities. Through a partnership with Indian River Sight & Sound, this model home is equipped with a built-in iPad that allows much of the home’s automation to be controlled from a single device – at home or on-the-go. Pretty cool, right?

This week’s blog post comes from guest blogger Tom Spikes, owner of Indian River Sight & Sound. Read on as he explains the benefits and ease of smart-home automation:

“Home automation is a simple, yet sophisticated method to manage security, lighting, HVAC, and access control in your home. Most homes have all of these systems, but each is a separate entity that the homeowner must manage individually.

Have you ever come home early on a hot summer day and felt uncomfortable in your home because your thermostat was set for “away” mode? Have you ever gone out to dinner before the sun set and come home to a dark house? With a home automation system, this will never happen again.

The integration of these systems provides safety, comfort, and convenience to the homeowner.

And it is not just lifestyle conveniences that coincide with a smart home. The addition of wiring that connects each system for centralized control allows for other benefits, such as energy savings and safety, as well.

With centralized control of these various systems it is possible to automate many of the daily changes that previously had to be adjusted manually. For instance, with a smart home, you can set your air-conditioning temperature to automatically rise each time you set your home alarm as you are leaving your home. Upon returning home, the temperature can automatically adjust to a comfortable level as the alarm system is turned off.

If the alarm is triggered by an intruder, the siren will sound, the police will be notified, and the exterior lights can be set to flash to alert neighbors and the police exactly which house is being violated.

Other useful functions of a home-automation system include the ability to have lights illuminate a room automatically by your movement around the home or a programmed sequence based on the time of day.

The control of all these systems can also be done manually. Just because the house is automated doesn’t mean you are no longer in charge. Light switches still operate as normal, and thermostats can be controlled manually as well.

Other easy-to-use interfaces include keypads or touch-screens. You can also use your phone, personal digital assistant, or even the web to monitor and control your home from anywhere in the world.”

For more information on building a smart home with LifeStyle, give us a call at (321) 727-8188. And for more information on Indian River Sight & Sound, visit www.IndianRiverSightAndSound.com or call (321) 952-7377.