Home appliances aren’t seen as glamorous, but they are a necessity in our day-to-day life. Whether it is your washing machine, oven or refrigerator, we rely on them for so many things to make our lives easier. Do you find yourself wanting more from your appliances, more than what they already do?

Enter, the newest trend: smart appliances. A smart appliance is a state-of-the-art device that connects to your smartphone, tablet or computer to give you more information and control than even before.

Manufacturers are taking smart appliances to new heights and are committed to shaping the future of connected appliances to deliver a great experience to consumers every day.

So if you just use your smartphone to text, tweet, make a call or play games, you are definitely missing out. These innovative appliances will change the way you run your home and you can do it all in the palm of your hand.

Even though the Canadian market hasn’t quite taken hold of connected appliances at this time, it doesn’t mean that in the very near future appliance manufacturers will not start launching them.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2016, there were several gadgets that were showcased to show what was coming down the pipe. So we know they are coming but how are they going to make our lives easier.

Check out the top 5 benefits of connected appliances according to HGTV.com.

Benefits

#1: Diagnostic Check

connected-home-largeOne of the most important features of connected appliances will be the ability to diagnose problems, which can save the consumer time and money.

Scenario: Consumer finds that their refrigerator isn’t getting cold. What could it be, the evaporator, fan, thermostat, compressor or something else? The consumer calls the manufacturer, where a customer service agent sends a signal to the refrigerator, which then reports back indicating what is wrong. The report indicates that the thermostat is not working properly. The customer service agent sets up an appointment to send out a Service Tech with a new thermostat.

#2: Remote Monitoring

Having the ability to monitor and control your appliances while you are away from your house can be such a convenience.

Scenario: You’re running late at work and you have friends coming over for dinner, so you pull out your smartphone, open the app and send a signal to your oven to start preheating your oven to 425o to save some time while you make your way home.

#3: Communication Between Appliances

It’s not just about you having the ability to communicate with your appliances; it’s about all your appliances communicating with each other.

Scenario: It’s time for dinner, so you select a recipe from your smart refrigerator and immediately the refrigerator sends a signal to your oven, which will automatically start heating your oven to the temperature that the recipe requires.

#4: Intuitive Cooking

They are called ‘smart appliances’ because they are truly intelligent. Imagine your appliances knowing things before you do.

app-largeScenario: You constantly worry about what is in your refrigerator, do you have all the right ingredients for dinner or has anything in the fridge passed its shelf date. Think about being able to input all your groceries into your ‘Freshness’ app along with their expiration dates. The app can also recommend what dishes to cook based on what you have in your fridge and you can take it with you grocery shopping so that you can replenish items when supplies run low.

#5: Energy Monitoring

Buying energy efficient appliances not only saves energy, they will also save you money and help preserve the environment.

Scenario: Being able to monitor the energy consumption of your appliances along with the costs to run them on your mobile devices, gives you the ultimate control. You receive an alert on your smartphone advising you that your refrigerator door has been left open. This could be costly, imagine the energy being used to make up for the temperature change, but also the food that could spoil. You are able to call home and get your forgetful teenager to shut the fridge right away.

Sensing an electrical surge and shutting off their power, sensing a water failure and turn off the main line.

To get an idea of a connected appliance check out the Nest Thermostat, this is only just the beginning.

Isabelle, Your Appliance Expert