by April Khan
How smart appliance savvy are you, really?
Are you looking to purchase a smart appliance, but aren’t sure which one to start with? Well, you’re in luck, this small guide was designed to help you decide. But before we get into the good stuff, let’s take a little quiz to see how much you really know about smart appliances.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/green-living/smart-homes-quiz.htm
Okay, so you’re back and you’ve hopefully surprised yourself with how much you know about smart appliances. If you didn’t know jack, it’s okay, that’s why we’re here. Let’s get started.
What you can expect from a smart appliance?
Unlike what you’ve seen on the Jetsons, smart appliances are not all voice activated.
(We have a long way to go before we enter that sphere.) For now, you do have to play around with the appliances quite a bit to get the smart functions to, well, function. Smart doesn’t mean “highly evolved and having no use for human interaction,” it means intelligent.
They’re a step-up from traditional appliances which require 100% manual interaction. Smart appliances, for the most part, connect to smartphones via a special app that lets you do things like auto start your washer, preheat your oven and check the expiration dates of foods in your fridge. Some of these smart appliances use a central brain system like Nest to activate the features.
Why do you need a smart appliance?
Smart appliances were once thought of as luxuries that only the rich could afford. Now, we’re beginning to understand the amount of benefits these appliances can offer the average family. Time management is something we all need a better handle on. Whether it’s giving ourselves more time to relax or providing more time for our families and friends, we can all agree that we’d like more of it.
Smart appliances address this demand for more free time by cutting our everyday chores in half. Why spend time hovering over the dishwasher, when you could start it from anyplace, anytime using your cell phone? Why add the stress of being stuck in traffic and wondering how in the world you’re going to get home in time to cook that roast, when you could just preheat the oven while you’re in the car.
Could you do it yourself, and do you want to?
While it’s true that some people would prefer to do things the hard way, most of us just don’t have the time. Besides, appliances are created to do it all much better than we ever could. Dishwashers are better at washing dishes and disinfecting them than we are and self-cleaning ovens can get the gunk off of grills and oven walls much faster than us. If you’re one of those people who look at cleaning as therapeutic then that’s different. But, if you’re in a hurry to do things and you want to get them done more efficiently than smart appliances are the way to go.
But they’re so expensive…..
Yes, smart appliances are a little on the pricey side, but there’s always a small price to pay when you want more efficient appliances. Think of it this way: The average refrigerator costs an arm and a leg to run (even if it is Energy Star approved) since you have to constantly open the door to see what you have inside. This lowers the temperature in the fridge causing the food to spoil quicker. It also causes the refrigerator to pull more energy in order to cool the food to the correct temperature again. Smart refrigerators can tell you what’s in the refrigerator via a screen on the door. That way you can make a decision before opening it. That’s just one of many examples of how smart appliances could save you money in the long run. So on one hand it is a little more pricey upfront, but on the other, the savings you’ll have over time will balance everything out.
Do you think you have what it takes to own a smart appliance? Are you ready to make your appliances jump at your every call with just the tap of a finger? If so, head over to Appliances Connection to search through our catalog of smart appliances to see which ones suit you!