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What we know as a home today is nothing remotely like what homes looked like just 100 years ago. We have central air, natural gas heating, and many other modern amenities that our ancestors could never imagine. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that in another century, houses won’t look foreign to us, as well.

As technology improves, so does the ability for more innovation in our homes. That is why the following list of three ways technology will drastically change our homes of the future has been created. They are as follows:

  • Energy Use Reduction
  • Additional Safety Measures
  • Assuage Health Concerns

Energy Use Reduction

Some of the biggest energy users within our homes are appliances. This includes hot water heaters, refrigerators and lighting fixtures. Thanks to in-home monitoring devices, it is probable that our homes of the future will be far more energy efficient than they are today. For example, think about a modern refrigerator. It is always on because it needs to keep your food cold so it won’t go bad. While this is necessary, it is a highly inefficient use of energy. With an energy monitoring system implemented in your home, it will be able to cut power to the fridge when it has been closed for a long period of time and is able to self insulate the cold temperatures within. Other systems can be set up to detect if lights have been left on in an unoccupied room and shut them off for you. A variety of methods like these can be implemented to reduce the cost of your energy bill and greatly lower our reliance on electricity that can have negative impacts on the environment based on the methods that it is generated. So, thanks to our homes, we will have more money in our pockets and a cleaner planet to live on.

Additional Safety Measures

Many people believe that the Internet of Things, commonly known as IoT, will become an ingrained part of our homes in the future. The IoT is the idea that many ordinary devices can be connected through internet access and be used for positive means. This would, of course, include your home of the future, thus allowing it to communicate with surrounding homes and buildings in the area. Over time, the homes will be able to share useful data that can prevent things like power outages from occurring by diverting limited amounts of power to only necessities. Also, as this type of data is better collected over time, much more accurate maps of things like flood plains can be developed. This can have far-reaching impacts, such as lower home insurance quotes for those out of a floodplain, as well as increased safety alerts. Because insurers will realize that your home has a far lower chance of being damaged by a flood than a home a mile down the road, they will be able to more accurately sell you an insurance policy. This can end up saving you thousands of dollars throughout your lifetime that can be better spent on things you enjoy. The IoT can also be utilized to send out alerts if an extreme weather event such as a flood were to occur. This way, you and your family are able to quickly evacuate to a safer location.

Assuage Health Concerns

We already live in a society where millions of medical patients are remotely monitored. As technology improves, we will be able to ensure that those with preexisting medical conditions are getting the proper care that they need. Their home will be able to connect to the health-monitoring devices and contact emergency services in case of an emergency. Not only will this be possible but it will also be able to show you that you are experiencing warning signs and that you should consider seeking medical attention as quickly as possible. Thousands of lives can be saved, and those who have elderly parents and relatives can rest easier at night knowing that someone is always looking out for them and available to respond at a moment’s notice. If even one life is saved, the addition of this technology into the home of the future will have been well worth it. Preventative measures can be taken that keep more people living in their own homes for longer periods of time.

The future is unknown and this can frighten some people. Alternatively, the future is highly exciting because of all the technological advances that are likely to be implemented into our daily lives that we can’t fathom at this time. One thing we know for sure is, the home of the future will look nothing like homes as we know them today.
By Kevin Faber

About the author

Kevin Faber is the CEO of Silver Summit Capital. He graduated from UC Davis with a B.A. in Business/Managerial Economics. In his free time, Kevin is usually watching basketball or kicking back and reading a good book.

Follow him on Twitter: @faber28kevin

Featured image via Unsplash.