Vivint Smart Home expert Kristen Kenney joins KPRC 2′s Owen Conflenti and Lisa Hernandez on KPRC 2+ Tuesday to talk about the cutting-edge technology being used to make homes smarter and safer.

HOUSTON – Smart appliances and thermostats are supposed to help users save money because you can adjust and control devices even when you’re not at home. But one Houston woman says her smart thermostat cost her thousands of dollars in sky-high electric bills. What happened“I would never have dreamed that it was my thermostat,” Nichole Medrano told consumer expert Amy Davis. When Medrano moved into her apartment 3 years ago, she hired Vivint Security to install cameras, a smart doorbell and a smart thermostat. A Reliant representative told us the thermostat was communicating with the furnace and turning it on every 15 minutes.

HOUSTON – Golf will be making a return to Memorial Park as the Vivint Houston Open is scheduled to take place Nov. 5-8. This is the first time since 1963 that the Houston Open will take place at the Memorial Park Golf Course. According to a news release, this comes after the Astros Golf Foundation completed a $34 million renovation to Memorial Park Golf Course over a two-year period. Giles Kibbe, president of Astros Golf Foundation said in a statement he is excited to see golf return to Memorial Park. All four rounds of the Vivint Houston Open will be televised on The Golf Channel, according to the news release.