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Smart homes are on the rise in the country, with around 2.22 million smart homes in the UK at the moment and projections for this figure to rise considerably over the next couple of years.
While smart tech enthusiasts are converting their existing homes into smart homes, there are now several new builds with smart home wiring pre-installed.
The UK’s first new-build smart home was constructed in 2018 with a fully integrated Apple home system. Since then, the numbers have risen significantly with many new builds going the ‘smart’ way.
If you are building a new home and have the opportunity to integrate smart home technology into the design in order to achieve complete automation, we say go for it!
Imagine walking through the front door and the lights automatically turning on or the thermostat adjusting itself according to your preference and the ambient temperature. Also, getting a notification every time someone steps foot on your property or playing your favourite music in different parts of the house.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, this is just the beginning. Smart homes allow you to control appliances, lighting, heating, and entertainment systems using a smartphone or computer from anywhere in the world.
They may also include home security systems such as burglar alarms, CCTV cameras, security lighting, and access control systems.
The first step towards building a new smart home involves laying out the wiring and electrical work to accommodate the technology.
Read on to find out all about smart home wiring for new builds, why it is necessary, and the important factors to consider:
Smart home design could alter the way we think about technology in our homes. A smart home system is fully automated and knows what to do and when with limited input from the homeowners once the schedules and preferences have been set.
By installing the right smart home infrastructure in your new build, you can create a home that can be controlled from an internet-connected central app, including the lighting, music, heating, security, and much more.
While quite a few standalone smart home devices may become obsolete in a matter of time, integrated smart home systems last for much longer and can adapt to your needs as they change, with support from your professional installer, of course.
Another great benefit of a smart home is that it enables you to be as energy-efficient as possible. It helps cut down energy use, which reduces costs both in terms of financial savings and the negative impact energy overuse and misuse have on the environment.
You may even consider installing solar panels to your smart home, or the wiring to add them later on for clean and green energy. Additionally, you can install EV charging points to reduce your dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and gas.
Here are all the reasons why every new build must be a smart home:
From lighting to thermostats and smart speakers, there are several aspects of a new build smart home. Here are some of the most common devices and systems that make a smart home ‘smart’:
A reliable internet connection is essential since it is what connects the various parts of a smart home and allows you to remotely access and control it from absolutely anywhere in the world.
Smart lights can be controlled via your smartphone, and you can also set schedules and timers for when you want them to be turned on and off.
Not only can you turn the lights on and off with a simple tap on your phone but also adjust their colour and brightness according to your requirements.
All smart lights are LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lights that consume far less energy than incandescent and fluorescent bulbs and can significantly lower your energy bill.
Smart speakers take accessibility and convenience to a whole new level by allowing you to speak commands to your smart gadgets and appliances.
Instead of having to take out your phone to control your smart home devices, you can simply speak to them to take the required action. You may also ask them questions such as updates for the weather or to find a certain recipe while you’re cooking.
Smart plugs and switches are the easiest and most inexpensive way to may any appliance in your home a smart appliance.
For instance, if you connect a lamp to a smart switch and plug it into the wall, you’ll be able to control the lamp from your smartphone. You can also set schedules for the plugs to turn on and off, and also link them to other smart devices.
Smart home security cameras allow you to keep an eye on your property and know who’s coming in and going out, all from your phone, tablet, or laptop.
You may choose from a wide range of indoor and outdoor CCTV cameras such as bullet cameras, dome cameras, PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) cameras, and wireless cameras.
The best smart cameras have features such as motion sensors, night vision, high resolution, weather resistance, a wide field of view, professional monitoring, and the ability to be linked to other smart home devices.
Video doorbells are another great home security surveillance option that is extremely useful since they send a live video feed to your smartphone or tablet every time someone rings your doorbell.
Not only do they offer additional security, but also act as an intercom and are extremely helpful for individuals with mobility issues who have trouble getting to the door to check who rang their doorbell.
Smart thermostats give you the ultimate level of control over the temperature of your house, regardless of where you are in the world.
You can easily control the temperature of your home via your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, and link it to other smart home devices such as motion sensors, lights, and blinds.
In addition to providing great convenience, smart heating controls also help you save money in the long run by reducing your heating and cooling costs by automatically turning off or lowering down the settings when you are not at home.
They come equipped with motion sensors to pick up on when people are around and when they are not.
Many systems also have a learning feature that, in combination with the motion sensors, can be trained to know when people are present and when the heating needs to be turned on or off.
Smart home hubs allow you to connect several smart home devices so that they can be controlled from a centralised location.
For instance, you can use it to turn on the lights, adjust the temperature on your smart heating controls, start playing music, and close the blinds when you enter through the front door.
Other smart home devices include:
Smart home wiring for new builds is less expensive than retrofitting a home since you won’t have to pay extra for opening up the existing walls to accommodate the new wiring.
The beauty of today’s smart home technology is that it is all mostly wire-free. Most of the time, all you require is a smartphone and a good Wi-Fi router to benefit from the power of interconnected and remotely accessible devices.
There are still, however, a few key components that need to be hardwired – depending on whether you wish to go 100% smart or pick and choose – so that they can communicate with the ‘not smart’ appliances, such as the connected heating and air conditioning system.
This is because not all devices controlled by your smart home are smart themselves, such as the air conditioner and refrigerator, and may be ‘dumb’ with manual controls.
With smart home wiring, they can be connected to smart controllers to make them a part of the smart home environment.
Some common home components and appliances that work best when wired include:
By deciding to install smart wiring into your new build, you will open yourself to endless opportunities when it comes to comfort, convenience, and cost savings.
Although wireless connectivity is all the rage these days and is faster than ever, your home still requires a solid network of wiring for higher bandwidth, better internet security, and much more.
In a world that is shifting towards everything wireless, talking about the importance of wiring and cabling may seem a bit outdated but, in reality, wiring is and will remain an important part of both smart and ‘unsmart’ homes.
You can think of wiring as a home’s digital backbone that supports all of the different technologies in your home by delivering data, audio/video signals, security, and communication to a wide range of devices with unparalleled accuracy, speed, and reliability.
Smart homes are heavily dependent on a good internet connection, and while high-performance wireless networks (Wi-Fi) are capable of providing all sorts of signals throughout the home, there are certain limitations and challenges with relying too heavily and solely on this approach.
Proper wiring also makes way for a more secure network that is less susceptible to cyber-attacks and hacking.
This is a real and very prominent concern facing many smart home owners, of the devices in their homes “listening” to their conversation via hacking.
Cabling mitigates this risk by reducing signal interference and security threats that are a common problem with wireless Wi-Fi networks. Of course, this issue can be resolved by practising better security and being careful with how you use the system and its components.
Lastly, one of the biggest benefits of installing network cables throughout the house is the burden it takes off the Wi-Fi network.
As more devices get connected to the wired network, the home’s Wi-Fi connection becomes more available to devices that depend on a wireless connection, such as your smartphones and tablets.
Also, devices such as smart lights and thermostats that require only occasional access to the internet can use the wireless connection, whereas other systems such as security cameras, video doorbells, and smart televisions can work on the wired network for uninterrupted internet signals.
At Calder Electrical, we can design, plan, and install a smart home system that will allow you to control the lighting, power, audio, and visuals around your home.
We work with top-rated systems and always stay updated on the latest trends in home automation technology. We understand the ins and outs of the service and can customise the system according to your needs and requirements.
We offer maintenance services for the systems and guarantee fewer maintenance costs that usually go up due to faulty installations.
Contact us here or call us on 0800 612 3001 to talk to our experienced professionals for the best smart home wiring solutions for new builds!
Photo by James Feaver on Unsplash
