Our friends at Smart Home USA say, "a smart home is the term commonly used to define a residence that has appliances, lighting, heating, air conditioning, TVs, computers, entertainment audio & video systems, security, pool/spa, shades blinds and camera systems. All of which communicate with one another while being controlled remotely by either a time schedule, from any room in the home, or from any location in the world using a phone or internet connection."
An emerging and important feature of a smart home is conservation of the earth's limited resources. More and more people are becoming aware of the various ways they can make their homes truly smart — and green — by utilizing home controllers integrated with all home sub-systems. Utilization increases savings by monitoring usage that entails the control of all lighting, window coverings, HVAC, and irrigation. Many smart home controllers have built-in monitoring systems that calculate and log usage by all connected devices. In this way, the smart home owner is given heightened awareness and the knowledge to make changes as necessary. These smart home systems can also be accessed over the Internet from anywhere in the world so the homeowner can adjust consumption anytime, anywhere.