American homeowners spend $134 billion each quarter on improvements to their homes. Traditionally, this money is spent on improving plumbing, fixing little dents and dings around the house, repainting or papering the walls, and replacing old furniture. However, as a recent report from WPTV, an NBC News affiliate in West Palm Beach, shows, homeowners are increasingly moving away from spending their hard-earned money on traditional fixes and are instead opting for high-tech improvements to their homes.
Home surveillance systems are among the most popular of these improvements. Increasingly advanced hardware and software allows homeowners to keep an eye on their property, whether they’re at work, on the bus, or just upstairs. A smartphone is the only thing required to monitor the home and its contents around the clock.
Homeowners Increasingly Looking for Security and Convenience in the Home
The last few years have seen a wave of new technologies meant specifically to improve homeowners’ lives. As the most popular new options show, it’s not just security that an increasing number of Americans are looking for; convenience is a big seller, too.
Nest Labs, owned by Google, has enjoyed significant popularity among homeowners, due in large part to its family of smart thermostats that can be controlled remotely. The home tech company recently announced plans to buy Revolv and Ivee. The former produces wearable technology that can work in tandem with smart thermostats, refrigerators, and other appliances, with the latter focused on voice-activated technology that can better control these increasingly common smart homes.
Of the new technology being developed this year for home consumption, wearable technology, like that offered by Revolv, is set to become the most popular. Homeowners can use wearable technology to monitor those security systems that are increasingly used to make us feel safe, and as Wired reports, smart technology that recognizes homeowners’ individual heartbeats will soon be released to revolutionize the way smart technology is used to keep homes secure. Imagine, doors that only unlock when your heartbeat is detected — that’s the direction we’re heading. All of these exciting new advances taken together make it clear why the average American is investing in high-tech improvements instead of more traditional options.
Have you made any sort of high-tech home improvements this year? Tell us about some of the upgrades you’ve made in the comments below.