Extreme weather is taking us by storm - eSurance

And people are shockingly unprepared, despite high-tech solutions

Extreme weather events are on the rise. Last year, the U.S. suffered 16 major natural disasters — up 33 percent from the year before — with collective recovery costs of over $300 billion. The seemingly relentless mix of hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, floods, tornadoes, and droughts racked up the highest bill in history. And it's predicted that this upward trend will continue.

A recent study by Esurance revealed that the vast majority of U.S. residents have experienced at least 1 major weather catastrophe in the past 5 years. And although 80 percent of respondents expressed concern about the increasing pace of these events, less than half believe that their communities are getting better at handling them. Furthermore, only 17 percent felt they were personally prepared for an unexpected natural disaster.

In our analysis, we discovered that people continue to leave themselves and their homes vulnerable to Mother Nature's wrath, despite all the powerful tools that are now available to help. But if we can start to take advantage of what tech has to offer, we could better weather the storms.

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​Smart home wiring 101: A beginner's guide - The Ambient

Smart Home Wiring

The beauty of today’s smart home is that it’s mostly wire-free. Wireless protocols such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE have done away with the need to install complex and expensive whole-home electrical systems just to control your smart lights remotely.

In the modern smart home, all you need is a smartphone and a Wi-Fi router to unlock the power of connected devices. Most of the time. 

There are still some key devices you are going to have to hardwire though. This is not so they can work with wireless smart home systems, but because they need to communicate with your “dumb” appliances, such as heating and air conditioning systems, irrigation pumps and the electrical wires running through your ceilings and walls.


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5 Smart Home Upgrades That Are Good for Your Pocket and the Planet - Green Homes - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

The synergy between the smart home and the sustainable home is a beautiful thing. Technology brings conveniences, and by reducing our consumption of water and energy, sustainability brings savings. Put these two powerful features together, and you have the sustainable smart home. This is a home that saves its owner money and the planet precious resources—by automating many of the things we forget to do, don’t know how to do, or don’t realize we need to do.

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How to Create the Smart Bathroom of Your Dreams - AllConnect.com

You’ve heard of the smart home — homes equipped with technologies that provide convenience, comfort, and security. Now get ready for the smart bathroom – bathrooms that promise the same, along with improved cleanliness and safety. From motion-sensor lights to Bluetooth speakers, there’s a wealth of devices that can make your bathroom one of the smartest rooms in your home. Here are just a few reasons to invest in creating a smart bathroom.

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5 Household Robots That Make Your Life Easier - AllConnect.com

Robots

Easily take care of common household chores and carve more time for yourself with the latest generation of household robots. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), today’s robots can wash your floors, monitor your home’s climate, clean your windows, and more. Here are just some of the ways household robots can make managing your home easier.

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How to Monitor and Control Indoor Air Quality in Your Home | care2.com

Indoor Air Quality

The air that we breathe is, quite literally, our life source. But it could also, quite possibly, be killing us. Air quality is becoming a modern crisis, with the World Health Organization (WHO) classifying air pollution as the world’s largest health risk, linking one in eight total global deaths to air pollution exposure, both indoor and out.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside our homes is commonly five times more polluted than that of the outdoors, and in some cases, up to 10 times. So, what can you do to protect your health, and that of your family, from this silent killer lurking in your home? Detect and correct. Find out what is causing air pollution in your home and then take whatever steps you can to help correct or mitigate those causes. Here we’ll look at how you can achieve this.

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Smart Home DIY: 5 Reasons Your Family Is Going To Love Smart Door Locks | FunTimesGuide.com

Smart Home

The phrase “latchkey kid” was a popular one among my generation — the first where many families boasted two working parents. Coming home from school to an empty house was a pretty common occurrence for many of my school friends. However, thanks to smart door locks, today’s latchkey kids can dispense with the key entirely and parents can dispense with the worry over whether their children made it home safely!

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How smart home devices help monitor and mitigate indoor air quality | MultiBriefs.com

There are a significant number of connected, Internet of Things-powered devices that incorporate some sort of indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring that can help mitigate indoor air pollution. From standalone IAQ monitors and devices that do double duty as security systems to smart HVAC systems that filter the air when dangerous levels occur, consumers can now easily monitor the health of their homes and businesses. For more read the full post here.