The term “green” evokes many things today – from global warming to solar energy. There is a big movement today in preserving the natural world, and even the small things matter. So how do you do your part in saving our precious resources, and also saving your own? While recycling and purchasing electric cars can help, installing a home energy management system can make a huge difference. Here are seven ways you can save energy, and money in your pocketbook, using a smart home in Lake Norman or Charlotte North Carolina. 

1. Install Dimmers

According to Lutron, installing dimmers in your house can save you up to 20 percent on energy alone. Your smart home system can automatically dim the lights at specific times of day when the sun is brightest, or certain sequences like a romantic dinner. Keep touch pads on the wall so you can manually adjust lighting levels at any moment. Control4 reports that simply lowering your lighting setting by 10 percent can save enough energy to reduce up to 850 pounds of carbon dioxide each year—the equivalent of not driving a car for an entire month.

2. Use Motion Sensors

Have you ever forgotten to turn off the lights when you left the house? Install motion sensors and you don’t even have to check every room as you walk out the door. Every time a room is empty, the system will turn the lights off for you.

3. Add a Smart Thermostat

We’re sure you have heard of the smart thermostat, Nest. Whether you have one or need to add a smart thermostat in your home, this is one of the biggest opportunities to save a lot of energy. Air conditioning and central heat account for 25 to 40 percent of energy usage in the home. Having access to your thermostat on your mobile device makes it easier for you to set temperatures at strategic points throughout the day. It can also go on autopilot to adjust the temperature all on its own, and if you have Nest, it will learn your habits and remember them.

4. Coordinate Lights with Motorized Shades

Both smart lights and shades will make a difference in saving energy, but coordinate them together and you’ll save even more! Imagine your motorized shades going up at noon to let the sunlight in and the lights turning off at the same time when you don’t need them. As the sun sets, the lights will dim to 50% and the shades will come down to protect your privacy. Daylight sensors can be added as well to detect the presence of natural light and adjust artificial light accordingly.

There are many surround sound systems to choose from today, ranging from placing 2 to 10 speakers around the room. Additionally, there are multiple ways to achieve an immersive audio experience in your home. However, Dolby Atmos, a 3D audio format, stands out among them as a unique listening experience that you can enjoy right in your own home in the areas of Lake Norman or Charlotte, North Carolina. Dolby Atmos surround sound is well known and used often in commercial theaters across the U.S. and it has now made its way into home entertainment. Keep reading to learn how this revolutionary technology works, as well as what is required for your media room design or home theater installation.

What is Dolby Atmos?

Dolby Atmos is a special audio format that allows your speakers to play multichannel sound in a 3-dimmensional space. Traditionally, sound has been mixed creating two or more channels, or tracks to play from a few speakers. This type of sound mixing confines all the sounds to a few channels so you can only hear it from certain angles. However, with Dolby Atmos, sound is freed from these channels and treats specific sounds as individual files, called audio objects. These objects can be placed and moved anywhere in the room using in-wall speakers that are in font, back, and above you. The Dolby Atmos cinema processor decides which speakers it will use to create the realistic sound.

SEE ALSO: The Best Home Theater Systems for Your Charlotte Living Room

The movie's sounds flow all around you to completely immerse you in the action, heightening the impact of the show and creating a powerfully moving cinema experience. If you are watching Gravity for example, as the spaceship flies across the sky, you can hear the engines moving from one side of the room to the other via in-ceiling speakers above you. Or, if you are watching The Hunger Games, can watch Katniss shoot her arrow and hear the pulling of the bow at the front of the room, and the impact at the back through the speakers behind you. As a result, your home theater system is able to bring the movie to life as never before possible.

Let’s face it, you really can’t get anything done without Internet access. It’s a byproduct of living in the 21st century. We use our smartphones for everything today, from managing our schedules, checking into the gym, and now controlling our smart home. But what happens when your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) equipment isn’t cutting it? The truth is that it may not be their fault; local ISPs in Lake Norman or Charlotte aren’t built to handle large residences, advanced smart home systems, or high-end audio video components. For these applications you need a trained and knowledgeable professional for wireless network installation. Here are three issues you may be facing right now, and the solutions we offer to solve them.

Let’s face it, you really can’t get anything done without Internet access. It’s a byproduct of living in the 21st century. We use our smartphones for everything today, from managing our schedules, checking into the gym, and now controlling our smart home. But what happens when your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) equipment isn’t cutting it? The truth is that it may not be their fault; local ISPs in Lake Norman or Charlotte aren’t built to handle large residences, advanced smart home systems, or high-end audio video components. For these applications you need a trained and knowledgeable professional for wireless network installation. Here are three issues you may be facing right now, and the solutions we offer to solve them.

SEE ALSO: How Can You Boost Your Home’s Cell Phone Signal?

1.You have a smart home, or many connected devices.

If you have a smart home or are thinking about getting one, a professional wireless network is a requirement, not an option. If you have many connected devices or streaming platforms in a dedicated home theater, you’ll need one as well. High-bandwidth devices put a lot of pressure on home networks, and simply purchasing a faster Internet speed won’t solve the problem. You need a local professional to place routers in the right locations and provide commercial-grade hardware. Higher-quality networks use faster CPUs and memory to process multiple connections at once, and advanced thermal management to keep equipment cool. They also can handle a greater number of connected devices and the intense network traffic.

So you’ve purchased a new home or piece of property to build one, and you are excited about all of the possibilities. Your options are endless, but the key is that you have to make those important decisions now – in the beginning of the build or renovation process. Will you tear down some walls to create an open concept? Will you put in tile or wood floors? And the most important decision (in our opinion), will you make your new home smart? There are many things you should know about installing smart home automation in a new home. Here are some tips from your local Control4 dealer in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Why should I invest in smart home automation in my new home? 

According to a joint survey done by Coldwell Banker, 28 percent of Americans already own a smart home product, and 91 percent of people who own a smart home would recommend one to others. A survey of more than 500 sales associates affiliated with the Coldwell Banker® brand found that buyers are asking, "How smart is this home?" Nearly two in three (64 percent) of the sales associates surveyed agreed that buyers today are more interested in homes with smart home features and technology than they were two to five years ago. So not only are families and millennials adopting smart home technology products faster, but they are also more willing to invest in a smart home since they believe it will bring them greater benefits long-term.

The most popular features are as follows:

Security and Surveillance Systems: 65%

There are a lot of elements involved in interior design, such as wall color, furniture pieces, accent art, and layout. But have you ever considered how lighting plays a part in creating a beautiful home? Talk to any interior designer, and they'll tell you that lighting is a huge factor in planning out the right home design. The reasoning is that lighting affects our mood, the way we see things, and also affects how we function on a daily basis. Keep reading to discover our tips on how lighting can play a part in creating a beautiful ambiance in your Lake Norman residence, or anywhere in North Carolina.

SEE ALSO: The Integrated Home Takes Lighting to the Next Level With Automation

Include Decorative & Accent Lighting

When you hire The Integrated Home to integrate and coordinate your lighting, we go above and beyond to make your home look as beautiful as possible. We work with top-rated interior designers, electricians, and sub-contractors to create the perfect lighting scheme. Our team and partners can strategically place your lights in the right spots to not only illuminate your spaces but also highlight and complement décor. For example, a chandelier or intricate lighting fixture hanging above your dining room table is a decorative light that brings the theme of the room together while also providing a nice ambiance for a relaxing meal. Dimmers help you create the right ambiance by brightening the room for a fun game night, or lowering it for a romantic date night. We can also install special lighting around art work, like paintings and sculptures to bring attention to the detail in the artist's work. With a smart system, you can even hit a button on your mobile device to enact certain scenes when the time is right. Having cocktails with new friends? Hit "entertain" and all the lights highlight your beautiful art collection. We'll work with you to create the right lighting scheme that works best for every room.

Choose the Right Type of Light