Picture this. It’s the weekend. You’re relaxing outside in the garden when your mobile phone pings with an alert. But it’s not your best friend checking in; it’s your washing machine letting you know that your load is finished. No more forgetting about the laundry and having to put it through a second wash cycle for you.

Now, this may seem like a pipedream, but according to a whitepaper released by AHAM (the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) smart appliances that can do this and more are just around the corner.

Otherwise known as connected appliances, smart appliances can connect to your home WiFi and can be controlled using a smartphone or tablet from inside your home and beyond. Here are some of the exciting features we can look forward to in smart appliances:

• Forgotten to turn on your dishwasher before you leave the house? That’s annoying, now you won’t have any clean dishes and pans when you get home. Oh wait, you have a smart dishwasher! Just turn it on remotely using your mobile phone.
• Always running out of milk? You may not have remembered that you used up the last of the bottle or that your groceries have gone out of date, but your fridge has. Smart fridges can actually order you fresh groceries when your supplies are running low.
• Your phone pings with another notification. This time it’s your oven letting you know your dinner has finished cooking to perfection.
• You haven’t cleaned your tumble dryer vent for a while; perhaps you should check it for lint and fluff? No need, your dryer will let you know when it needs cleaning.
• Most of us know that two minutes is the ideal length of time to brush our teeth, but not everyone brushes for that long. Not to worry, electric toothbrushes of the future will monitor the time spent brushing and let you know when to stop, which is especially useful for children to keep their teeth healthy.

In a nutshell, the benefits of smart appliances are twofold: they’re more convenient and also run more efficiently to minimise energy usage, which helps the planet and your bank balance!

The future… today!

We’re already seeing some smart appliances on the market and it’s likely that when they become more readily available they’ll be pricey at first. But there is a more economical option you can use to enhance your home straight away – a smart plug.

This handy device lets you turn your plug socket on and off remotely. So you can turn on your electric heater to warm your house before you get home or even boil the kettle so you can pour a hot drink the second you walk through the door. A smart plug is also useful when you are away from home as you can turn lamps or your TV on and off to deter burglars.

It’s exciting to find out how new technology will shape appliances in the future so we always keep an ear to the ground for the latest updates. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you all updated too!

Tags: connected appliances, future appliances, Smart Appliances