How do you feel about interacting with your home the way you would with a website? In the future your home will know who’s in what room, make your coffee and turn on your lights. It might even choose your clothes for you based on the temperature outside.

For some people this level of interaction might seem space age but smart houses aren’t a thing of the future, they’re happening right now. In the Internet of Things analyst firm Telsyte reports that over 40% of households in Australia have at least one smart home device and that the average Australian household has 13.7 internet connected devices.

This figure, they say, is expected to rise to 30.7 devices by 2021, which isn’t too far away….

In response to Australians wanting smart houses, businesses have busily been creating new products and services to meet our demands. We’ll look at four ways you can make your home a lot smarter than it already is.

1. Smart Lighting

Smart lighting has been around for a few years now but it’s been rapidly increasing in popularity thanks to companies like Philips and Belkin whose products seamlessly fit into smart houses in Australia. Even Ikea are getting in on the act.

Admittedly it is pretty cool to be able to turn on customised lighting for a specific room or rooms with the touch of a button on your Smartphone. With Philips’ Hue bulbs you can even change a room’s colour.

If you want even more sophisticated smart lighting you could get a system like MyLights by Advantage Air that’s integrated with your air conditioning and controlled by a wall tablet or a Smartphone.

One of the benefits of using smart lighting, apart from the convenience, is the security benefit, such as being able to turn on lights remotely if you’re out for the evening or away on holiday, to detract burglars.

2. Remote Appliance Control

Remote appliance control allows you to control a number of everyday appliances by your Smartphone from the comfort of your couch. All you need is a WiFi plug that you install into a normal socket. The appliance then gets plugged into this to bypass the switchboard.

Using an app you then set up the appliance and give it a name, i.e ‘fridge’ or ‘heater’ and you can control it from your Smartphone or tablet. It’s pretty simple to set up and you don’t need an electrician to do it. The drawback though is that you’ll need a plug for each appliance, so you may fork out a bit initially in setup costs.

3. Energy Monitoring

Being able to monitor and control how much energy your home uses is definitely something that appeals to many homeowners. No one wants a home that guzzles through power and produces a nasty surprise with the bill each month.

With some WiFi smart plugs you can track your energy consumption on the corresponding app. But with a full home automation system like Push you get even more energy management control.

From turning off the TV if it’s not being watched, to closing blinds and switching off lights, Push lets you see exactly where you’re consuming the most energy and helps you monitor it.

4. Security

With all these new gadgets in our homes, the need for better protection has increased tenfold. Smart home security systems make it easier than ever to monitor your home from anywhere you happen to be.

Home automation systems like Push mentioned above allow you to activate your security system at the touch of a button, as well as control cameras, door locks and the intercom. The beauty of a smart security system is that you can customise it for your own needs, such as, set up rules to turn on outside lights if there’s motion detected or lock bedroom doors if a sensor is triggered.

Looking for an electrician to install smart home products? Discover local experts on Bricks+Agent by simply posting up a job and getting quotes. For more homeowner hints delivered straight to your inbox sign up to our monthly newsletter below!