Make Your Home Smarter and More Comfortable This Summer with These 5 Essential Automations
With the arrival of summer, the heat, and the intense humidity, carrying out everyday tasks can feel more exhausting than usual. Returning home after work can be just as tiring as driving through traffic, and all we want when we walk through the door is to relax, unwind, and not think about anything.
But there’s also a bright side. As the summer holidays approach, it’s the perfect time to enjoy your home environment. So, why not make your home smarter and more comfortable with a few automations specifically tailored to the summer season?
Here are five automations (or Habits, as we call them) that can significantly improve the comfort of your home on those long, hot summer days.
1. Gradual Opening and Closing of Shutters with the Freedompro Shutter Module
Have you ever heard of circadian rhythms? These are natural 24-hour cycles that regulate various biological processes in our body, such as sleep, wakefulness, body temperature, and hormone production. They’re mainly influenced by the alternation of light and darkness and help synchronize our physiological activities with the external environment. The “master clock” controlling these rhythms is located in the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus, which receives information from light through the eyes.
Maintaining a regular circadian rhythm is crucial for overall health and well-being, and a smart automation for your shutters can help you achieve this.
With Freedompro’s Shutter Modules, you can automate your shutters and integrate them into your daily routines. A simple example: program a gradual lowering and raising of your shutters. Using the “Postpone” feature in our Freedompro Home app, you can set the shutters to close 20% at a specific time in the evening, then another 30% a few hours later, and finally the remaining 50% during the night. The Postpone feature adds a delay, giving you the perfect lighting and sleep environment.
This setup allows you to benefit from the natural light/dark cycles typical of summer, as well as enhance security (no more worries about forgetting to close the shutters and exposing your home to the elements overnight).
Alternatively, you can set an inverse Habit to gradually open the shutters at sunrise for a natural light wake-up.
2. Fan Automation with Freedompro Smart Modules
Who doesn’t love a bit of fresh air during the summer? Standing fans are perfect for this, especially the portable ones that are easy to move around. However, they usually lack intelligence and require manual activation via a button or remote.
Why not make them smart with Freedompro’s Smart Modules, such as the Smart Outlet Modules or Dry Contact Modules? These Wi-Fi-connected devices can automate your fan’s operation, allowing you to schedule it to turn on and off as needed.
The best part? Simply leave the fan plugged in and switched to "ON" (with a speed setting above zero), and it becomes part of your daily automation. With these Smart Modules, you can ensure that your fan operates based on your specific schedule, keeping your space cool without lifting a finger.
3. Dehumidifier and Air Conditioner Automation
For those living in humid areas, combining dehumidification and air cooling is the ideal strategy to increase indoor comfort during summer. High humidity makes you feel hotter, as it reduces the body’s ability to cool itself through sweating.
With Freedompro, you can easily integrate your dehumidifier and air conditioner into a smart automation system. By using Easykon — our line of bridge devices that evolve KNX and BTicino Home automation — you can control these appliances remotely and create energy-efficient automation that prioritizes dehumidification before cooling. This ensures better humidity control and energy savings by preventing both appliances from running simultaneously unless necessary.
4. Dehumidifier and Air Purifier: Teamwork for Better Comfort
Did you know that dehumidification followed by air purification significantly improves indoor comfort in the summer?
Dehumidifying reduces humidity, helping your body cool down more efficiently. At the same time, it prevents mold, dust mites, and other allergens from thriving. Using an air purifier after dehumidification removes pollutants such as dust, pollen, bacteria, and more, ensuring cleaner air.
You can make both devices smarter with Freedompro’s Smart Outlet Modules, allowing you to control them directly from your smartphone and integrate them into your daily routines. A cleaner, less humid environment leads to better overall health and comfort.
5. Outdoor Lighting Automation with Freedompro Smart Light Modules
With summer comes longer days and more time spent outdoors. As a result, the windows and doors of your home tend to stay open for longer periods, not just for ventilation but because you’re frequently moving in and out of the garden.
With Freedompro’s Smart Light Modules, part of our Smart Modules range, you can automate outdoor lighting — for example, the lights on your patio or garden. Automating your outdoor lights not only improves security (you can keep the lights on throughout the night and have them turn off at dawn) but also creates a welcoming atmosphere for your outdoor evenings.
Bonus Automation: Control Appliances and Lighting When You’re Away
Lastly, here are two automations that are particularly useful when you’re not home but want to ensure safety, comfort, and energy efficiency:
-
Automatic Lighting for Security: Set up an automation to turn on interior or exterior lights at specific times, maybe even coupled with the TV or radio to give the impression someone is home. You can manage this using the Smart Light Modules (for lighting) and Smart Outlet Modules (for TV and radio).
-
Energy Management for Non-Smart Appliances: Use the Smart Outlet Modules to remotely control appliances like your refrigerator, freezer, microwave, electric oven, and induction cooktop. You can turn them off to save energy while you’re away or monitor them to avoid any surprises upon your return.
These automations will dramatically enhance your home experience, whether you’re there or enjoying a vacation far away — perhaps lounging on a tropical beach while your home runs itself.
