Smart technology has taken the world by storm. In the UK over 80% of the adult population now own a smartphone. Instead of browsing the internet through a desktop like the majority of people did a decade ago, people now have the convenience of being able to search the internet wherever and whenever they want to. You can do your online shopping whilst on your daily commute to work, or check what your friends have been up to on Facebook whenever you feel the need to.

 

The internet has brought so many efficiencies and positives into everyday lives from saving time with tasks, to saving you money and keeping in touch with people. The latest trend now is to have smart appliances that essentially make your home appliances and systems work smarter. Here are a few of the most popular smart systems and solutions right now:

 

Smart home hubs

 

If you have not heard about Alexa or any of the similar smart home hubs then it is certainly worth finding out about them. In a very basic description, they are internet connected hubs that are voice activated. So you can ask them to answer a question that you need to know, using internet sources. You could be in the kitchen and need to know how long frozen chicken takes to defrost or you might want to know what ingredients go into a recipe then you can simply ask your smart hub. There are plenty of other features like making a phone call, controlling lights, playing music and changing your heating temperature if you have a thermostat that works with it.

 

Underfloor heating

 

Energy bills always seem to be rising, so the more efficient you make your home heating, the more you will save over the long-term. With the help of underfloor heating trade supplies you could soon be enjoying a more efficient heating system. Because underfloor heating is more even than heating from a radiator, there are a lot of efficiencies and better use of energy units. You can also set the temperature for different rooms to reduce wasted energy.

 

Smart locks and security

 

There is a large range of home security systems now on the market that include features such as monitoring your home from a phone app. You can even see who is at your door via a camera and then speak to them. Smart locks are an alternative to the traditional key and lock system and you can control your front door from anywhere.

 

Eco kettles

 

If your household drinks a lot of hot drinks then your kettle could be using up a huge amount of energy this way. Eco kettles require less boils in a day because the kettle is insulated and stays hot for longer. Being more careful with how much water you boil each time will help to reduce the energy consumption too.

 

Smart kitchen appliances

 

In addition to eco kettles, there is a large range of other smart kitchen appliances including precision cookers that allow you to set your timer from anywhere through internet connectivity.

 

You can also get smart scales that will enable you to measure the amount of ingredients you add when baking, so rather than measuring each type of ingredient out separately, the scales will add everything up and tell you how much you are putting in.

 

Smart TVs

 

These have been around for some time but if you have not yet tried one then the internet connected TVs bring a lot of benefits from being able to search apps like YouTube to watch on your TV to having a connection to use Netflix from your TV. Streaming is becoming more popular with Amazon Prime, Netflix and a load of other companies now looking to offer online streaming as an alternative to satellite and cable. You can also stream music from smart TVs to turn it more into a modern home entertainment system than just a standard TV. Plenty of smart TVs also have a load of game apps that can be used as an alternative to gaming consoles.

 

You can download all of your favourite TV apps onto your smart TV so that you can quickly access the content you like most. Many smart TVs have an inbuilt voice control that will take you to the program that you want to watch without even lifting a finger. You can use the voice control to search for a particular film or even to recommend something good that is on TV that night.