Over the past five years, remote work has increased by 44% in the United States. In 2020, thanks to the COVID pandemic, that number shot up with over 60% of Americans working from home.
Today, while many companies are opening back up and calling their employers back to the office, many of us still find ourselves working from home. Although we’ve now had over two years to figure out this remote work situation, many of us are still looking for ways to optimize our at-home workflow.
If you are still looking for some tips and tricks to optimizing your work-from-home setup, you may want to invest in some home automation features. Not only can a smart home improve your day-to-day living, but it can also improve your work-from-home experience.
Start Your Day Before You Wake Up
Did you know that with the right home automation setup, your home can start the day for you before the day even begins? With the right combination of smart lights, smart blinds, a smart thermostat, and smart appliances, your home can be up and running before you even open your eyes!
With a smart home, your thermostat can adjust to a cooler or warmer temperature (depending on the time of year) right before you get up. You can schedule your blinds to open and let in some morning light, and your smart coffee maker can get your coffee brewing.
No More Harsh Lighting
No one likes working under harsh incandescent office lighting. A major plus to working at home, you chose your own lighting! And we’re not just talking lamps.
With smart lighting, you can control the lights in your office and the rest of your home throughout the day. Program your lights to brighten and/or dim throughout the day as the natural light in your office shifts. You can also set timers for lights to turn on and off in different parts of your home throughout the day. And no need to get up to adjust the lights. Dim or turn lights on and off simply through an app on your phone.
The Perfect Temperature for You
It’s too hot! It’s too cold! Working in an office, your comfort is in control of the masses or worse, the overall building, and do they ever get it right? Working from home, you never have to worry about being too hot or too cold. You get complete control over your own thermostat and a smart thermostat can not only keep you at your optimal temperature but can help you control the temperature in the rest of the house as well.
Smart thermostats can be programmed to respond to the occupancy of a room, open or closed windows, and even current weather conditions. Empty rooms don’t need to be kept as cold as the rest of the house in the summer, and an unknown open window can lead to a waste of energy. Your smart thermostat can be programmed to adjust the temperature of the home throughout the day and can be controlled by an app on your own phone.
Security & Safety
Working from home isn’t all about comfort and convenience. You also want to make sure you’re safe. Installing a smart security system like GVTC’s connectHomecan give you the peace of mind needed for a productive day's work.
GVTC’s smart security system provides around-the-clock security monitoring that can be accessed through any smart device. Verify that windows and doors around the home are shut and locked without having to visually verify yourself and receive security updates sent directly to your phone throughout the day. Activate and deactivate your security system, monitor movement in and around your home, and check who’s at the door without ever leaving your home office!
Save Energy
Working from home and now upgrading your space with all this smart technology, you may be worried about excess energy costs. Your employer used to cover the costs of running the office from lighting and temperature to internet and security. Now it’s all on you. But with a smart home, you could actually save on energy!
With the right smart home setup, you can save energy by only using the exact amount of energy you need throughout the day. Empty rooms don’t need to be cooled or heated the same way rooms in use do, and never worry about random lights and devices getting left on when not in use. Home automation not only allows you to monitor these things from the comfort of your own desk, couch, or bed but can also be put on a schedule. No reason for the AC to be set to full blast or the lights left on in your child’s room while they are at school.
You’ll also be able to monitor your usage in order to see where waste may be occurring and figure out ways to improve.
Don’t Forget the WiFi
While your comfort and safety are top priorities, no work-from-home setup is complete without fast, secure, and reliable wifi. Is there anything worse than a glitchy video call? Upgrade your system today to GVTC’s Premium Wifi, for the fastest, most reliable connection around!
