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Feature:Green Savings Steps you can take to reduce costs for your home while helping the environment |
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By
Bridget McCrea There is no single blueprint for having a smart, automated home that’s also environmentally friendly. But the good news is the two usually complement each another, especially when it comes to energy efficiency and temperature regulation. Home automation is rapidly gaining in popularity. But before you can raise your home’s IQ, you need to install special structured wiring and a network that provides the basis for digital communication between computers, cameras and a host of devices used to control the home’s internal systems. While a smart home’s gadgets are mostly in the interior, a home’s exterior features, for the most part, are responsible for reducing its carbon footprint, a task that has become easier due to the growing awareness of the impact of global warming. Everyone knows about compact fluorescent light bulbs and low-flow showerheads, but here are some additional steps you can take to make your home smarter and greener. These measures are good not only for the environment, but ultimately, also for your wallet.
Irrigation: Works in conjunction with
weather
detection system to regulate watering of lawn and shrubs, which use 50
percent or more of urban water
resources. Whole House Audio/Video: The cornerstone of any smart home.
Enjoy
high-definition video and high-quality surround sound in every
room of your
house. Communications: Enabled telephones can control intercom and
camera systems, as well as open doors and locks. They can also convert
voice
messages to e-mail and forward them to your hand-held or
computer.
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