Home Automation in a Small House – is it worth it? – Answered

HOME AUTOMATION IN A SMALL HOUSE

Home Automation in a Small House – is it worth it – Answered

All we want for our homes is peace of mind that we are safe, whether we’re in the house or out. One of the popular solutions that homeowners use these days is installing home automation to their homes. The use of smart home automation is now more popular than it ever was before. Not only does it provide convenience, but it also provides peace of mind to homeowners.

Now, is home automation worth it in a small house? Most definitely, yes! Home automation is worth it for any size of the home, whether big or small, because it provides security, energy efficiency, and overall peace of mind to homeowners.

Home automation is getting popular by the minute because nowadays, we rely on our smartphones. This article will discuss the pros and cons of installing home automation for your small house. It will also talk about the difference between having home automation for small and bigger homes. 

Pros and Cons Of Home Automation in a Small House

central european style small home

As per Wikipedia, home automation is a system that controls lighting, climate, entertainment systems, and appliances, which may also include home security, such as access control and alarm systems. It may be a nifty way to keep up with technology, and it has huge advantages for your home.

I have set up my fair share of smart home automation devices in my small home, and I know the different pros and cons when it comes to having it in your own small home.

The Pros of Home Automation

Energy saving

Throughout the years, home automation has proven itself to be energy efficient in small homes. There are smart thermostats that you can adjust temperatures remotely, and you can pre-program temperatures based on the time of day as well as the day of the week. Another great thing about smart thermostats in your small home is it can adapt to your temperature environment. This way, you do not need to input any pre-selected schedule.

Aside from the temperature, you can also dim lights and turn off lights that you might’ve forgotten by just using your phone. With this said, it can help you save a whole lot of money from your monthly electric bills in your small home. You might not believe it, but I can’t even count how many times I left my home in a hurry forgetting to turn off the kitchen lights or my bedroom lights.

The actual energy saving would depend on the type of device you select to install in your small home. The average product manufacturer estimates that homeowners can save anywhere from 10 to 15 percent off their heating and cooling bills in a small home.

Peace of Mind

One of the best things about having home automation in your small home is that you can have peace of mind whenever you are away from home. When you incorporate cameras with your smart home systems, your home security will skyrocket. The best thing about home automation is you can manage it all on your smartphones, from motion detectors to surveillance cameras to automated door locks.

If you are as forgetful as I am, home automation is the answer. There are many instances when I forget to lock my front door whenever I leave in a hurry for work. Thanks to my home automation, I can always lock my doors in just a tap on my phone.

Another great thing about home automation in a small home is that you can receive alerts or notifications on various devices, depending on the time of day it goes off. It also monitors the activity in real-time so that you can check your home whenever, wherever you are. So, if there’s just a small movement that’s detected in your home, it will either send you a notification, text, or e-mail.

Convenience

Nowadays, technology is so advanced, and it provides convenience to every household. The number one selling point of home automation in a small home is convenience. Home automation removes the small hassles, such as turning off the lights and locking doors. It will also give you a sense of security, knowing that you will get notifications whenever there’s movement inside your home.

There are so many home automation systems that come with remote dashboard capabilities, so you no longer have to worry about forgetting to lock doors or even forgetting to turn off a coffee pot that you left on before going to work.

Another convenience that you can have is that you are able to keep all of the technology that you may have in your small home in just one interface. This way, managing them will be easy peasy for you and your family. You would only need to learn one app to manage all of your systems in your home, which doesn’t take rocket science to figure it out.

comically small home!

The Cons of Home Automation

Installation

Depending on the complexity of your home automation system, installation can be a huge bother to a homeowner. Though, it may take less time for installation in a small home, but it will still cost you money to hire outside contractors. This way, you can make sure everything is set up correctly and nicely. However, if you decide to install it yourself, it will take a lot of time and effort to get it done, especially if you are not familiar with installing wirings in your home.

I tried to install my home automation system at my small home because I thought it wouldn’t be as complicated. Being the smarty pants I am, I put in my time and effort to try to do it myself. In the end, I just gave up and decided to contact a contractor to finish the job for me. 

Complex Technology

Now, automating everything in life can be appealing, but there are times where a simple turning off and on light is much better than reaching for your smartphone to get it done. Before deciding if you want to get your small home fully automated, you have to think about how far you really want to take it. 

You also have to think if you are techy enough to handle the entire home automation system. If you’re not accustomed to using a smartphone and other apps, it might be best to stick to the old fashioned switching the lights on and off yourself.

System Compatibility

One of the essential parts of having home automation in a small home is having a centralized platform where you can control everything, from lights to doors. There are times where you would have to control your security systems in one app and your smart thermostat in another. Having said this, to leverage the convenience of your home automation fully, it is best to invest in centralized platform technology for a small home.

Cost

There is a lot of affordable home automation that you can buy out there. However, depending on the complexity of the system that you want to install in your small home, the prices can add up. Installation fees can also be expensive, especially if you contact an outside contractor to install everything in your home.

If you want the best quality of cameras and other equipment that you may need to complete your home automation, it will cost you big bucks. Most homeowners spend about $565 to $2300 for installation in a small home. At most, professional installation will cost about $85 per hour for a complete home automation installation which can cost less than having it installed in a larger home.

Large Vs. Small Smart Home Automation

Knowing the pros and cons of having smart home automation is important. There are a lot of benefits that you can take advantage of when you have a small house with home automation. The first benefit is it’s easier to install in smaller homes since it requires lesser lights than a large home. With this said, it can reduce the installation fees you would have to pay when hiring a professional contractor.

You would also need lesser equipment, such as cameras, in a smaller home. It would only take a few cameras to make sure that you can see every corner of your home. Now, the benefits of having smart home automation in a small and large house are not that significant. It can still provide the security, convenience, and peace of mind that you’ll feel when installing home automation to your home.

A beautiful home in the country

Final Verdict of Having Smart Home Automation in a Small Home

Having smart home automation in a small home is DEFINITELY worth it! You can enjoy the luxury and comfort in your home. Just imagine that when you’re already sleepy at night and too tired to turn off the lights, all you need to do is tap something on your smart devices, just like that your lights are off. 

With the proper lighting and placement of the equipment that you have for your home automation, it makes a small home look bigger. Of course, with home automation, you can put your mind at ease wherever you are. Also, the system that’s so good it pays for itself.

I installed my home automation about a year ago, and I have not felt this secure my entire life. I may have a small home, but you can’t pay for peace of mind whenever you are out of the house or even when sleeping. Smart home automation really changed my life by making everything easier for me.

Home automation is massively on the rise. I think over the next 5-10 years it’s going to get more and more integrated in to our homes. This is great news as it frees up our time to focus on what really counts. Checkout a few of our other articles on home automation:

Conclusion

Smart home automation is getting popular by the minute. It is definitely worth it to have it installed in a small home. It will provide you security, peace of mind, convenience, and will also save you money. It might be a bit costly upfront, but it’s definitely worth the investment. Smart home automation will eventually pay off, especially with the savings that you’ll get from your monthly bills. 

P.S.

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Steve

If you’re interested in reading more about LED lights and smart home checkout some of the other houshia categories including:

Smart Lights

Smart Home

Smart Garage

Steve Foster

Suburbanite, tech geek, handy man, automation enthusiast who started blogging about the stuff I do around my home and found he had a knack for it.

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