Smart homes on a budget

    Nineteen years into the 21st Century and the United States is starting to look like the Jetsons.
    Home & Garden Television (HGTV) is an American pay television channel that is owned by Discovery, Inc. Every year since 2013, HGTV creates and designs a “smart home.” That is—a home equipped with lighting, heating and electronic devices that can be controlled remotely by phone or computer. After the house is complete, viewers can register to win the house.
    For 2019, the “chic modern retreat” is located in Dallas, Texas. While some would be ok with the super high-tech furnishings of the HGTV 2019 Smart House, the odds of winning are slim to none, and I, for one, could not afford to deck out my house with the niceties the smart home has to offer.

2019 Smart House
    HGTV mentions multiple high-tech features of this year’s smart house at www.hgtv.com/design/hgtv-smart-home, including:
    Touch-to-wake keypad­—The touch-to-wake keypad by the front door, part of the home’s top-notch security system, lights up when you need to see it and goes dark when you don’t. Because the keypad doesn’t need power, it can be placed where needed.
    Advanced video doorbell—A video doorbell at the front door sends alerts to your phone for all activity out front, and allows you to talk with guests without ever having to get up to answer the door. This handy video doorbell offers the chance to view everything in the light of day or the dark of night with crisp wide-angle HDR video.
    Whole-Home Protection—The base station for the home’s easy-to-use security system also sits in the entry. This home’s advanced security system is professionally monitored 24/7 by six different monitoring centers, even in the event of a power outage.
    Entertainment at home—The media room includes a surround sound system; projector screen with color-changing LED backlighting; source device that serves up the latest 4K and HDR video streams; a smart lighting system that can be linked to movies, music or games; and more, so you can create just the right environment for enjoying your favorite tunes or the next movie night with family and friends. Classic Hollywood art and a vintage-style popcorn maker give the room a touch of classic style that mixes with all of the new technology.
    Top-notch ovens—The kitchen’s 30-inch, built-in combination convection microwave and oven offers a convection microwave on top that circulates heat for high-quality results, with a steam-clean option on the lower oven for cooking versatility.
    Ultimate control—Thanks to a hub device in HGTV Smart Home 2019, your smartphone or tablet on the kitchen counter turns into a universal remote that gives you control over your home entertainment and smart home devices.
    Zoned Comfort—The advanced heating and cooling system at HGTV Smart Home 2019 offers exceptional performance and ultimate control, with an air purification system and zoned comfort so the temperatures in specific rooms can be set and controlled via an app on a smartphone or tablet.
    Turn up the lights—The great room, along with the entry, kitchen, media room and patio, includes smart lighting. These lights can be controlled from a smartphone or tablet from any location to create just the right ambiance for any occasion. This well-designed home includes six smart dimmers
    Advanced Skylights—Deck-mounted solar-powered skylights with light-filtering single-pleated blinds in the library have a skylight automation system designed to help create a healthy indoor environment by monitoring online weather forecasts, indoor temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels. The system uses this data to automatically open the skylights to bring in fresh air or adjust the blinds for energy efficiency.
    Sleep soundly—The smart queen mattress in the guest bedroom tracks sleeping habits and offers the ultimate in comfort, with memory foam that cools, contours and adjusts on both sides of the bed.
    Hidden TV—The master bathroom’s hidden TV can be raised or lowered by remote or voice-activated control, so it stays out of the way when not in use. The compact TV lift offers quiet operation and industry-leading reliability
    Smart shower system—The top-notch smart shower system in the master bath includes adjustable temperature settings, pressure controls, steam and sound for the ultimate personalized showering experience.
    Top-notch toilet—The smart, one-piece elongated dual-flush intelligent toilet with premium remote in the master bathroom combines modern design with the latest in technology. The toilet features integrated cleansing and has an adjustable heated seat and foot warmer, built-in speakers and more.
    Dry-clean at home—Built into a pullout cabinet in the master closet, this at home dry-cleaning unit gives homeowners the chance to refresh clothes in just 10 minutes.
    The perfect brew—A large collection of coffee pods in the butler’s pantry with assorted flavors makes it easy to brew up a great cup of coffee for a lazy Sunday morning or dinner party with friends.
    Elevate your game—Positioned just in front of the storm shelter in the garage, elevate your game using this golf simulator that offers the chance to practice and play championship golf courses from the comfort of your new smart home
    Easy lawncare—HGTV Smart Home 2019 includes an app-controlled robotic lawnmower and uses cutting-edge technology to make lawncare easier. With advanced maneuverability and extended battery life, the robotic lawnmower uses sharp blades for cleaner cuts that promote a healthier lawn.
    Versatile lighting—Smart lighting that can be controlled from a smartphone app or tablet makes the porch a space that can be used during both the daytime and evening hours.
    Outdoor comfort—The porch includes motorized screens that are controlled by a simple touch of a button. The screens allow you to enjoy the beautiful outdoors while being shielded from insects and the weather.
    Movie time under the stars—The backyard made for relaxing and enjoying the outdoors includes this 4K projection screen optimized for breathtaking clarity and four times the color, sharpness and overall resolution of 1080p screens.
    Walk this way—A lighted walkway on the back of the home includes LED lights built into the deck that help safely guide your way.

The cheaper alternative
    A lot of the features of this year’s smart home seem a little ridiculous. I would never use the in-home dry cleaning service, so my crazy house would include the $1,000 laundry folding machine (foldimate.com)—if I were made of money, that is.
    If you’re like me and don’t have wads of cash to spend, go to your local hardware store to smart up your home.
    Some smart items available locally in Imperial, Grant, Wauneta and Holyoke include smart lightbulbs, smart security systems, smart thermostats and energy management, as well as smart gadgets like robot vacuums.
    Owen’s True Value in Imperial currently has bluetooth-connected thermometers for grills and outdoor wi-fi outlets.
    “We recently sold a robotic lawnmower,” Owen’s employee Julie Hansen said.
    “If they see it on the website we can get it for them,” Hansen added.
    I may not need a smart toilet, but I will be checking out whether the robotic vacuum will die from my dogs’ hair.

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