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  • Nest Celebrates Earth Day with Free Thermostats

    Nest Celebrates Earth Day with Free Thermostats

    We’re all trying to be a little more environmentally conscious, right? But for low-income families, it’s not easy being green. That’s why Nest has promised to install a million smart thermostats in low-income homes over the next five years.

    Power to the People

    The initiative is part of Nest’s Power Project, which is focused on reducing energy waste and raising awareness about how homes can become more efficient.

    According to the Power Project, 1 in 5 families spend 20% of their income on energy—far more than the national average. The company hopes to reduce the financial burden of energy waste with this program. It officially launches on Earth Day 2018, the last Sunday in April.

    We’re All in This Together

    Through partnerships with local energy and utility companies, housing organizations such as Fannie Mae, and non-profits, Nest will be able to provide money-saving smart thermostats to households with low to moderate incomes. The Nest E Thermostats will be free or very low cost for these families.

    According to Nest’s head of energy partnerships, Jeff Hamel, the company created the program because “[e]very family deserves to have heat in the cold and light in the dark.”

    Helping Hands

    Nest is committed to giving back and addressing inequality. Through the end of April, Nest will be donating 10 percent of its thermostat proceeds to charity. Nest has also pledged to install a smart thermostat in every house built by Habitat for Humanity during 2018.

    If you’d like to help out with the initiative—or see if you qualify for a free or reduced-cost thermostat—visit Nest’s website. They also provide links to local organizations that can help with energy costs for struggling families.

  • Easy Smarthome Devices to Increase Your Homes Value

    Easy Smarthome Devices to Increase Your Homes Value

    From smart thermostats to automated lighting and everything in between, there’s no question that innovative, Internet-enabled technology can make a home more fun, convenient and safe. What you may not know, however, is that it also represents a potentially valuable investment. Im going to take a$7000 investment to smart home upgrade to increase my homes value by $25000. Lets look at how I spent it and what value it brings.

    Appliances

    I started with replacing the refrigerator and stove, with smart appliances.

    for a combined $4300 I installed the Samsung Family Hub 2.0 wifi enabled fridge and  the Self-Cleaning Slide-In Gas Convection Range both in stainless steel of course. considering I was going to have to spend $2000 anyway on these appliance the extra money to purchase the smart appliance is well worth it for the wow factor alone.  

    Samsung Family Hub 2.0 Refrigerator

    The Samsung Smart Fridge is really cool, looks great, creates shopping lists and lets me see inside from anywhere with 3 built-in cameras. It  also set expiration notifications to make sure everything is fresh. Plus it has Bixby built in for a digital voice assistant right in the kitchen, I’ve always wanted to talk to my refrigerator.

     

     

    Samsung Self-Cleaning Slide-In Gas Convection Range

    The stove looks like something you would see in a professionals kitchen, its no joke.  There are cooking options with the intuitive guiding light controls. This lets you program your favorite recipes, plus easily control temperature and  time settings. Wi-Fi connection gives you real-time alerts and control the cooktop and oven remotely. You just have to  download the app for iOS or Android devices.

     

    I was able to get both devices with a bundle package at best buy, factoring the money I was going to spend anyways im only out ($2130)

    Lighting

    Next step set the mood, for 3 main light switched I installed the Brilliant Smart Panel. With the digital touch screen or simple verbal commands, this switch can control your homes lights, air conditioning, intercom system, video surveillance, music and has a built in camera and even the ability to make video calls.

    I replaced all light bulbs with Phillips Hue Smart Lighting, this will allow the lights to be controlled from the 3 smart-panels, with the color bulbs setting different lighting and the colored light strips in the kitchen.

    This has added a great wow factor, adding in the Sonos speakers already through out the house. I can set music and lighting with just a shout. ($1000)

    Little Things

    The Smart Panel for Brilliant can control a lot of smart devices, so I upgrade my thermostat to the Nest, a Smart lock from August, Skydrop 8-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller, Smart Security Video system from Nest with a video doorbell and an Amazon Eco Show for Alexa integration with all the new devices. ($1500)

    Bathrooms

    This home has 2 bathrooms so I’ve updated both toilets to the Smart 1 Piece by OVE. Little expensive, but a heated seat, warm bidet water, and air drying features are a big sell for small price. This looks great and comes with a remote control. You can adjust the power and temperature right from your remote.

     

     

    I also updated the 2 shower-heads and added the Moen U Shower Smart Home Connected Bathroom Controller. The Moen U integrates smart temperature control, timers and also an app. You can even pre-time your morning shower, walk yourself to the bathroom and it turns on automatically as soon as it senses your presence!

    I have effectively updated my home and prepped it for sale. With these little upgrade I have moved my home from the bottom end of its appraisal to the top by making it a cutting edge smart-home and increasing my value and netting me an extra $18, 000 after the sale.

  • 5 “Smart Home” gadgets every house should have…

    5 “Smart Home” gadgets every house should have…

    It’s 2018 folks, and the future is here. Astronauts are driving Tesla’s through space and the Reese’s company is doing some really innovative stuff with popcorn. With all this technology around us, it’s easy to take it all for granted and we sometimes don’t get all the use we can out of it and take advantage of smart home gadgets.

    And the most important place you can use all this cool tech to your advantage is right in your very own home. Here are some amazing new smart home gadgets to make your life easier…

    1. The iRobot Roomba

    Ever since it’s inception in 2002, the Roomba vacuum has been an integral piece of smart home tech. With the ability to program this round robot to vacuum your home 7 days a week it can be a real time saver. With the latest 980 Model, the Roomba is more advanced that ever. With cutting edge mapping technology and dirt detection programs, this “set it and forget it” vacuum is a must have! For dog or pet owners life myself, I can stress it’s value enough. I have a lot on my plate and one thing I don’t to concern myself with is the daily sweeping thank to “Roger the Roomba”. Yes I named my Roomba, he’s family, folks. Word of advice…there are several competitors is the robot vacuum department, do yourself a favor and stick with the iRobot Roomba. You may a little more, but in this case “you get what you pay for”. This was been probably the best $900.00 I’ve ever spent.

    2. The Nest Thermostat

    Coming in at a price tag of $279.00, the Nest Thermostat is well worth the extra cost. Thanks to it’s smart and adaptive AI, the Nest knows when your home and learns your work schedule to monitor the A/C usage. You can also control the thermostat right form your Nest App on your mobile device to fine tune your A/C needs. For a native Floridan like myself, A/C usage and consumption is a real beast you have to tame. In the summer months, electric bills can soar thanks to primitive thermostats. There is nothing like a thermostat shutting down for the day knowing your at work, and then turn on a half hour before you get home so you don’t walk into a hot and muggy house. It’s just bliss. Once I had installed the Nest, I noticed an immediate 50% drop in my A/C consumption and a large drop in my electric bill respectively. This is a must have in your home.

    3. Brilliant Light Switch

    With the ability to control your homes, light, music, ambiance, and even take pictures with voice commands, the Brilliant light switch is a 2018 must have gadget for your home. Brilliant light switch also connects to several of your home’s smart gadgets such as Nest, Alexa, Sonos Speaker, Ring doorbell system, and more. Starting at $200.00 per panel, Brilliant Switch is a costly addition but this innovative new gadget gives your home a brain.

    4. Amazon Echo and Echo Dot

    This smart home “must” is quickly finding it’s way into every home, world wide. Alexa and Echo Dot, is a voice-controlled system that used to play music, make calls, send and receive messages, read the news, set alarms, and even order and Uber or takeout! With the capability of syncing up to Amazon-Fire, Apple Music, Audible, Pandora, and more, you easily find usage and justification for this piece of smart tech in your home. At a price tag of $150.00, the Amazon Echo has many uses to help in your home and is a fantastic smart home gadget. Word to the wise, Alexa has a built in microphone for consumer purposes that is ALWAYS LISTENING…Use responsibly. 

    5. The Ring II doorbell system

    The Ring Video Doorbell, provides you with the capability to see who is at your door from the safety and comfort of  your bed or couch. It lets you accept or deny visitor calls if you’re not home, and uses motion detection to alert you of activity on your doorstep even when the bell hasn’t been rung. By working off your home’s Wifi and mobile data, the 1080HD  camera will alert your smart phone of any activity at your door step day or night. For an extra $3.00 a month, you can pay for cloud storage and have all moments video recorded for later purposes if desired. The newest model also has a 2 way intercom system, and infrared night vision. For that extra bit of security at a relatively inexpensive cost of $199.00, this doorbell is the must have for any smart home.

    The Conclusion

    With so many smart gadgets available, some better than others, these products can make our homes better, safer, and more convenient. 2018 is going to be a big tech year and the “smart home” business is growing evermore advanced daily. If you can pick-up just one of these items this year, you’ll be headed in the right direction. I’m still anxiously awaiting the release for Rosie the robot maid, but I may have to hold my breath for awhile.