| davephan |
06-29-2023 07:20 AM |
Several additional things to consider:
Is the lawn and shrub irrigation system working properly? Oftentimes, too few zones and too few heads are originally installed. The irrigation controller might also be obsolete. I recommend replacing the old technology irrigation controller with a 12 or 16 zone Orbit B-Hyve system. You can find them at Lowe’s, Home Depot, and other sources. The Orbit B-Hyve controller is easily programmed and monitored from your cellphone from anywhere. The Orbit B-Hyve controller also automatically puts the system into automatic rain delay based on the forecast. Our Florida home had a lousy old technology irrigation controller, which I replaced right away.
Does your home have mostly LED lighting? Our Florida home had incandescent lighting with 21 incandescent only light dimmers. I replaced the light dimmers with Lutron Caseta light dimmers that can accept most lights, including incandescent and LED lights. I then replaced the incandescent lights with LED lights, which draw a fraction of the electricity.
I also replaced the obsolete mechanical timers for the outside lighting with Lutron Caseta dimmers or interrupter switches, depending if a neutral wire was available. The interrupter requires a neutral wire, the dimmer does not require the neutral wire. The Lutron Caseta switches can be controlled, monitored, and programmed with your cellphone from anywhere. The outdoor lights can be programmed to turn on at sunset and off at sunrise. They are programmed one time. The lights then follow the sunset and sunrise times perfectly throughout the year as the sunset and sunrise times change. It even follows the daylight savings time and standard time changes perfectly. The sunset and sunrise times are programmed to your zip code. That system totally automates your outdoor lighting.
Another thing is your security system. A security system is important! You never want to be in a situation where an intruder is in your house and attacking you as you are in bed, trying to wake up. You could be injured, tortured, or killed. An alarm system will alert you to the situation and most likely the intruder will run away. Intruders don’t want to be shot by armed homeowners, or arrested by the police. A good place to start is the Alarm System Store on the Internet. The DSC Neo system is a good security system. You can self monitor or have central station monitoring, or both. Security system companies like ADT are a total ripoff, charging you $30 to $40 a month for monitoring. ADT also locks you into a 3 year contract that automatically renews if you forget to cancel it. Good alarm monitoring should cost about $140 a year.
A whole house generator is also a very nice thing to have. We planned on having a generator in our Florida home before moving to Florida. We signed the contract for a 24 KW natural gas automatic starting whole house electric generator. It automatically starts with 30 seconds of a power outage. During hurricane Ian, our generator ran for 29 hours continuously, and powered everything in the house, including the two heat pump air conditioners. If you don’t have natural gas service, then you’ll need to have a large propane tank installed, which will add a few thousand dollars to the cost. Our generator took 10 months of waiting for the installation and cost about $14,000. You might be able to use a gasoline generator. But dealing with gasoline storage isn’t safe, and refilling your gasoline generator with 80 mph hurricane winds blowing debris around that could injure or kill you isn’t safe either. Gasoline generators are also targets for criminals to steal, unless you lock them In security cages.
Modern thermostats like the Ecobee is a good idea. You can control and monitor the thermostat with your cellphone from anywhere.
Camera systems are also a good idea. That builds on the them of knowing what’s going on at your home when you are away from your home.
Those automation and safety items will increase your peace of mind, save money in the long run, and increase your safety.
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