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My dream smart home

By Lyndsey Young | Posted May 10, 2018

We asked our friend, blogger and smart tech enthusiast Lyndsey Young aka the Queen of Easy Green, what smart home devices are on her wishlist. 

This is what she said: 

Lyndsey's dream smart home

When you are a busy working parent, you sometimes wish you had the power to either clone yourself or turn back time, just so you could get more things done in the day. Washing, food shopping, cooking and cleaning, they take up a lot of what little spare time we have. Who wouldn't rather spend a Sunday afternoon reading a book instead of cleaning the oven, or have an extra 30 minutes in bed rather than load the family wash – surely it's not just me?

No, in today's modern world most of us are increasingly time poor, but luckily with smart technology for the home more widely available it is possible to make our lives more streamlined. So, with that said, here's what's on my smart tech wish list:

Smart coffee 

No more instant coffees or attempting to schedule a stop at your local coffee shop on the way to work, with the Siemens' fully automatic bean-to-cup coffee centre, it's like having your own personal barista in your kitchen. From Latte Macchiato, Cappuccino, Espresso Macchiato or just simple white coffee, you can have a freshly ground cup of coffee made to your exact specification at the touch of a button. Not only that, with a fully-automated steam cleaning function after every beverage, the iQ700 coffee centre takes care of the daily cleaning of the milk system.

Did I mention you can also start brewing your perfect morning cup of coffee from the comfort of your bed? Simply by syncing your smart phone with the wifi enable coffee centre, via the Home Connect app, you have the freedom to catch a few more z's while your personal barista sets to work crafting your first pure coffee indulgence of the day.

Smart vacuum

With teenage boys and a dog coming and going in the house, vacuuming is another chore that takes up too much of my precious 'down' time. How fabulous would it be if the vacuuming could be done all by itself, well luckily for us some vacuums can. One robot vacuum is Dyson 360 Eye, with it's 360 degree built-in camera it can adeptly manoeuvre its way around your home vacuuming away dust and debris, without you having to lift a finger. The same size as a well-known chocolate box tin, the 360 Eye can easily fit into small corners, behind settees and between chair legs, it works on a multitude of floor surfaces and when it needs recharging it returns to its docking station then when recharged continues to clean where it finished off. What's more, using the Dyson Link app on your smartphone, you can schedule the 360 Eye's cleaning programme when you are away from the house and even view where your robot has cleaned!

Smart air

I do like my home to look clean and tidy, but more importantly I want it to be a healthy environment too. Therefore one daily habit I have is to open all of the windows in the house to ventilate my home, but when the weather is too cold or when pollen is in the air, or I'm working away from home I can't always do this. Luckily, during these times, I can still enjoy fresh, clean and healthy air in my home thanks to the Blueair Air Purifier. The Blueair Air Purifier uses patented HEPASilent Technology to clean the air in my home of most (99.97%) airborne particles, such as dust, pollen and pet dander leaving it purified and pollutant-free. As well as having the peace of mind that the Blueair Classic is quietly and energy-efficiently cleaning the air in my home, it can also be conveniently controlled via the Blueair Friend smartphone app. Controlling functions such as fan speed, LED display, child-lock and night mode you have the flexibility of pure, clean air at the touch of your phone screen. As a hayfever suffer, I would certainly recommend the Blueair air purifier, it is so easy it is to use, is incredibly quiet and the air in my home always smells clean, fresh and is healthy too.

Smart sun

The next smart gadget on my wish list is not strictly for the home, it's for the garden instead. I love this for two reasons, firstly, because unfortunately I can't sit too long in the sun and secondly, because it's an invention I created over 10 years ago – yes really! Now a Los Angeles-based tech company, Shadecraft, has launched their own version the Shadecraft Sunflower. The same concept as my design, the solar powered Sunflower rotates and tilts tracking the sun as it moves across the sky, meaning you remain perfectly in the shade without having to move a muscle. Solar panels and electric motors in the base of the umbrella allow it to rotate 360 degrees and tilt up to 45 degrees. As well as providing all day shade, the Sunflower, which is run by the SmartShade app, is wifi and Bluetooth enabled, it also includes an integrated security camera and built-in speakers, plus, of course, you can charge your smart phone from it. Maybe more suited to LA than UK, this is the ultimate pool-side luxury smart gadget.

Smart doggie treats

Last but not least, here's a smart gadget that'd be real treat for my dog. Luckily our dog isn't left on his own much, but when he is, it'd be lovely to still see him and give him a treat and with Furbo you can! Furbo is a smart camera specially designed so you can keep a watchful eye on what your furry friend gets up to when you are not there. As well as being able to watch your dog via your smartphone, with a built-in microphone and speaker you can talk to him too, plus, if he's being a really good boy you can give him a treat, just touch your phone screen and voila, Furbo will 'throw' a treat to your little doggie to enjoy – how fun is that!

Want to get smart?

Check out our smart home page for inspiration and tips on how to make your home smarter with EDF Energy. 

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