We’ve all been there…that moment when you lie in bed and realize you left the kitchen light on (and now have to get up, unlock all the security gates, deactivate the alarm AND try to prevent the dog from following you… just to go switch off the light). Or you’re sitting in the office, and suddenly doubt whether or not you activated the alarm? Or maybe you’re returning from a weekend away and want a hot shower the moment you get home but the geyser is switched off. 

With smart home technology you can switch off the kitchen light while still snuggling in bed, check on (and activate) your alarm system from your office desk AND switch on the geyser while you’re still on your way home.

BIRCHWOOD COUNTRY ESTATE with smart home featuresEngel & Völkers Potchefstroom is marketing the first smart and green homes in Potchefstroom: Birchwood Country Estate. The smart homes are fitted with smart light switches, a smart geyser control system, an alarm system that is operated through the smart home app, as well as an automated garage door that is managed through an app. You can also include your Smart TV and add additional features to your system, such as plugs or even irrigation. The options are endless!

The system is easy to use – you can use either the Google Home or Apple Homekit apps and manage the entire system from your smart phone. You can literally be in another town or province and still switch on your lights at night. Another handy feature is the voice recognition – just by talking to the app you can open or close your garage door or manage any of the other smart home features. You can even ask your smart TV to play your favourite song while you’re busy chopping veggies. To save on water heating costs (who doesn’t want to?), the intelligent hot water control option will manage your geyser optimally.

GREEN READY HOMESAll the Birchwood homes are PV solar ready. This means that various elements are pre-built into the home from the start – so that you don’t need to break and build at a later stage just to install your solar system. A larger DB board is installed, which is already split with a divider. Extra conduits are installed to enable easy connection. 

Green & You has a unique system that measures your energy usage over a time period – identifying, amongst other things, the peak usage timeslots and peak usage days. For businesses, the energy usage is also measured per phase. With this information the Green Solutions advisors can design a customized system tailored to your specific usage, peaks and requirements. This will be discussed in detail in an upcoming article.

BIRCHWOOD COUNTRY ESTATE SMART HOMES Marketed exclusively by Engel & Völkers Potchefstroom, Birchwood Country Estate homes are the new benchmark: the first smart and green homes in Potchefstroom. This security complex with the impressive entrance gate is a product of the reliable ProPlan Technologies and has 24 hour security cameras, electric fencing and facial recognition. 

Phase 1 sold out in record time and the residents have moved into their brand new homes and are enjoying the smart home lifestyle. These 2, 3 or 4 bedroom smart homes are so popular that Engel & Völkers Potchefstroom already had a waiting list for phase 2 – which was just launched in the market. 

Each home is fitted with an alarm system (connected to your smart home system) and has a private garden. The complex features several green areas with wooden park benches and a children’s play park, so it is the ideal estate for families.

WANT YOUR OWN SMART AND GREEN HOME?Stay up-to-date by following the Engel & Völkers Potchefstroom Facebook page or contact an Engel & Völkers agent for an appointment to view Birchwood Country Estate firsthand. To make an appointment, phone Engel & Völkers on 0716745673 or 0182975777. 

Stay tuned for Engel & Völkers’s next interview discussing solar systems and load shedding solutions in detail.

Mid-Morning Magic’s Yolanda Maartens spoke to Helandi Moolman, Engel & Völkers’ marketing manager, to find out more about smart homes and green homes. Listen here: