Those who think that they can avoid some of the latest gadgets at home might be finding it very difficult. Modern technology for the home is vast and keeping your home running smoothly is so much easier than it used to be. There are plenty of people out there who have embraced the concept of the smart home and are doing everything they can to co-ordinate their gadgets so they have to do very little.

Home Control Systems
There are several of these on the market now and they can carry out all kinds of tasks. When it seems too cold and the thermostat needs to be adjusted, the home control system can do this. When people want to go away on holiday and they want the lights on timers the home control system can deal with this. They can be asked to play certain types of music. They can tell the homeowner when grocery shopping needs to be done – some can do the grocery shopping! They can act as an alarm clock and for those who need to find something out but who do not want to spend time on the internet themselves, this is the ideal solution.

Set-top box
Thanks to the end of analog TV and the launch of digital, most people have a TV set-top box. From the Sky Q Box to the Virgin TiVo box, these gadgets can do a lot. The concept of series link means that it only has to be set once to record a specific programme and it can record the whole series. Some boxes have the capacity to store 500 hours of TV or more, so the homeowner will always have something to watch.

Smart meters
Energy meters record how much gas and electricity is consumed in the home. The idea of the smart meter is that the homeowner can see what it is that is using the most energy and then change the way that they live so that they can keep their bills to a minimum. For example, it may show that mobile phone chargers are being left plugged in. This can be a problem and can see the home consuming more energy than it needs to, bumping up the bill. It might show that the tumble dryer is the item that is draining the national grid. For those who want to keep their bills low, a smart metre is a must.