Household, also known as home appliances, are electrical machines that help us with our household functions such as cooking, cleaning and food preservation. They are divided into small, major appliances (or white goods) and consumer electronics (or brown goods in the United Kingdom).The division is also recognized in the maintenance and repair of these types of products. Brown goods typically require high technical knowledge and skills (which get more complex with time), while white goods may need more practical skills and force to manipulate the devices and heavy tools required to repair them.
While many appliances have existed for centuries, the self-contained electric or gas powered appliances are a uniquely American innovation that emerged in the twentieth century. Their development is tied to the disappearance of full-time domestic servants and the desire to reduce the time-consuming activities in pursuit of more recreational time. In the early 1900s, electric and gas appliances included washing machines, water heaters, refrigerators, kettles and sewing machines. The invention of Earl Richardson’s small electric clothes iron in 1903, gave a small initial boost to the home appliance industry. In the Post–World War II economic expansion, the domestic use of dishwashers, and clothes dryers were part of a shift for convenience. In the 1990s, the appliance industry was very consolidated, with over 90% of the products being sold by just five companies. For example, in 1991, dishwasher manufacturing market share was split between General Electric with 40% market share, Whirlpool with 31% market share, Electrolux with 20% market share, Maytag with 7% market share and Thermador with just 2% of market share.
Major appliances, also known as white goods, comprise of major household appliances and include air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, drying cabinets, freezers, refrigerators, kitchen stoves, water heaters, washing machines, trash compactors, microwave ovens, and induction cookers. White goods were typically painted or enameled white, just as many of them still are.
Smart appliances and home products
Smart appliances utilize modern computers and communications technology to make functions faster, cheaper and more energy-efficient. They can take advantage of an energy “smart grid,” being implemented by utility companies nationwide.
Any domestic device can be a smart appliance. Smart home appliances are a specialized equipment, programmed to run from a practical central system. Sometimes they are even hooked up to the manufacturer, so if they break down, we can get an immediate notice of the problem and estimate of the repair. But the real beauty behind this kind of devices is that we gain more control with giving up control. With other words, this technology is convenient because smart homes think for themselves. They can sense an electrical surge and can shut off their own power or sense a water failure and turn off the mains. They know when they need defrosting, how long to cook our meals (some microwaves can read scan-bars on food items and set their own timers), some can even keep track of expiration dates or can create recipes based on the ingredients in the cupboard. Our house will know when it is raining and close the windows, even if we are away. The most fascinating aspect of smart homes is that the possibilities are totally limitless, as now we can actually communicate with them.
Smart lights
Smart lighting, like other home automation features, provides a more efficient way to manage the lighting in our home. By smart lighting, traditional light bulbs are replaced with smart light bulbs, which screw into the existing sockets. This kind of bulbs allow us to remotely adjust the lighting in our home from anywhere. The modern smart bulbs let us control not only the intensity of the light, but sometimes also the colour. If you wonder if there is a smart bulb that does it all, some models comes pretty close. They can be dimmable, offer up to 16 million colours and connect to our home network wirelessly, without the need for a hub or bridge. They also offer a user-friendly app that lets us configure lighting effects and create lighting schedules.
Smart Shutters
The modern smart shutter can have a cleverly concealed LED lights which provide mood lighting inside the room, but also makes it a convenient security feature, as from the outside, they give an impression that the house is occupied, even if it is empty.
Some models also have an innovative 5 megapixel camera, discreetly located in their rear. Wi-fi enabled and designed to be positioned at the eye level, this kind of camera works in configuration with a motion sensor, which triggers automated emails and alerts that are sent to our smart phone if there is motion in the vicinity of the camera when there is no one at home.
