Via an app on your phone, wherever you are in the world, you have control over switching an appliance on or off, or setting it's timer. It looks like the start of the future, a technology that will take over everything in our homes.

With a 'motion kit' you can practically control anything electronic in the home, which opens up a world of opportunities. Plug any appliance into the WeMo switch (for example), which then goes into your house socket.

It's kind of like a 'piggy in the middle' bridging the gap between the household appliances most commonly owned now, and future technology that will seemingly take over everything in our homes.

MY SKY
The my sky app supports the remote record app, so when you're out and have forgotten to record your favourite show, simply go the guide on the app and make a booking.

HEATING/AIR CON
Most heat pumps coming to the market now can be controlled through your smartphone or tablet, meaning you can manage it (turn it off/on, temperature up/down) during the day with an app - handy when it's winter and you don't want to walk into a cold house!

WASHING MACHINES
Being able to tell your machine to start an hour before you get home is quite a handy thing to be able to do, why? No more all-day-stagnant-wet-washing to greet you of course! It is probably more of a nice-to-have rather than a have-to-have, but for a busy household it is potentially quite helpful. One or two brands also have the ability to help diagnose a problem (only with regards to its own functionality, not your own personal issues), going as far as 'speaking' to customer support.     

LIGHTING
Turning certain lights on before you walk in the door. And apparently these bulbs last 50 times longer than traditional lights, and use 80 per cent less power!  

COOKING
Out comes the Smart Slow Cooker that allows you to turn it on/off, temperature up/down and adjust cooking time. Users are saying it is helpful to be able to adjust the temperature on their dinner if they are going to be home later than expected.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/10306525/Control-your-home-from-afar-with-apps

As Winter is drawing near (each morning seems to be getting cooler!) I thought it a great opportunity to write a post about energy efficiency. After doing a bit of research, I came across this fantastic post from unconditional.co.nz about just that. Did you know, in 2010 it was reported that 1.0 million out of our 1.6 million homes are poorly insulated? Not only is it unhealthy to live in a poorly insulated home but it costs a fortune on power bills.

There is a great website Homestar where you can do a quick checklist of the build of the home, location and age of the home to determine how the home ranks. Homestar also offers some really great tips like the following:
How to renovate to save money

• Employ good passive solar design with your builder or architect to maximise warming winter sun and cooling summer breezes.
• Ensure high insulation standards in the walls, floor and ceiling, creating deeper wall cavities to hold more insulation wherever possible.
• Don’t use recessed downlights, which penetrate the thermal envelope, or use IC-F certified fittings with appropriate insulation.
• Place double glazing with low-e glass and thermally broken aluminium or wooden window frames throughout the house.
• Install an energy efficient heat pump through a registered installer who will advise you on the best system for your requirements.
• Install appliances that have high energy label ratings – fridges need a minimum of three and a half stars, dishwashers and clothes washers should have a minimum of four stars.
• Use low energy lighting such as fluorescent or LED wherever possible (ideally at least 75 per cent of the house).

And with that all said, wishing my readers a warm and snug winter!