Smart homes — we need them now!
… some tips to take away from a Victorian Retrofit
There was a fantastic ad I saw the other day, where a man got locked out of his smart home after visiting the dentist. With a mouth numbed and appearing to be full of cotton wool, his speech was not recognized by the entry lock! The poor guy stood out in the rain, screaming ‘Open’ to no avail. While his neighbor unlocked her door, casting sympathetic glances his way. I imagine her thinking ‘Poor sod!’. But old school doesn’t mean better. I mean it’s not beyond the realm of possibility to lose your keys. I’ve done it before.
Moving into the digital age is exciting (barring dental visits), and sure it has its pitfalls. My Alexa decides to switch on at strange times throughout the day. I’m even woken up at 3 am with a voice saying ‘Connecting to Rika’s iPhone’. Not that I begrudge her some autonomy you see, but seriously, that is some spooky nonsense.
But more importantly, we have gas and energy bills rising by 12% this year. I live in a 2-bed house, and my bills will rise from £80 per month to £100. With the added stress of energy providers going bust, costs will continue to creep up. Insulate Britain may be adopting extreme measures to get noticed, by gluing themselves to the roads?! But their message itself is valid.
