Sustainability Week 2024
This article is part of a series of sustainability articles we're running to commemorate Earth Day 2024 and promote more sustainable practices. Check out all of our 2024 Sustainability Week content.
The smart home of the future is an all-singing, all-dancing, energy-efficient dream. We may not be there yet, but thanks to the rollout of increasingly advanced smart home communication protocols, that future is within reach.
Still, many of today's best smart home devices have energy-efficient features, and some can pay for themselves well in a few years. And of course, saving energy isn't just about saving money, it's contributing to the broader sustainability goal of reducing energy waste, which certainly helps you sleep better at night. Here are his 7 tips for saving energy in your smart home.
1. Use smart plugs
(Image provided by: Kasa)
The easiest way to reduce energy consumption at home is to use the best smart plugs. Smart plugs not only help make some of your dumb devices smarter, they also provide an easy way to turn off energy-draining devices when you can't turn them off manually.
Whether you're on vacation and need an energy-efficient way to control your home's lights to make it look empty, or you're rushing out of the house and can't remember if you turned off a lamp or smart plug, it's surprisingly easy. You can remotely control electrical equipment.
Additionally, some devices, such as the Eve Energy smart plug, can monitor energy consumption, helping you make better decisions about whether and when to power your smart home.
2. Use smart bulbs and lights
(Image credit: Philips Hue)
The next easy step is to replace your existing light bulbs with the best smart lights. Just as smart plugs help you remotely manage devices around your home, smart lights and bulbs cut out the middleman and allow you to control your lighting directly from your phone or one of the best smart speakers. Masu.
However, there is a catch. Because these devices must be constantly powered on with a wall switch, they consume a small amount of energy around the clock, similar to other vampire devices that operate in standby mode, such as televisions, computers, and microwave ovens. Masu. .
Still, the amount of energy used is very small and only begins to increase when you install smart lighting systems throughout your home. Still, LED bulbs use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs, and most smart bulbs (15,000 to 25,000, depending on the model) last up to five times longer. What's more, many light bulbs now offer energy monitoring features, so you don't have to trade off the amazing mood lighting potential of colored smart bulbs.
3. Use smart sensors
(Image provided by IKEA)
Smart sensors can revolutionize the way you manage energy in your home, especially if you have one of the former devices in place.
Use motion sensors to turn on your device when you enter a room, turn off your device when no one is home, or like me, use a smart air quality sensor to monitor your air quality. You can also automatically turn on/off the fan or purifier depending on the situation. , there are many clever ways to use sensors to reduce energy usage.
Even better, there are a variety of sensors available today that will work in any smart home ecosystem, and more are becoming available every year. For example, if you're concerned about water waste, try using a smart water sensor like the Moen Flo Smart Water Leak Detector.
4. Use a smart thermostat
(Image provided by: Tawatari)
Unlike smart lights, plugs, and sensors, smart thermostats are a little more complicated to install in your home, but they can make a world of difference.
Like almost all smart home devices, smart thermostats allow you to control your home remotely and can reduce wasted energy by up to 8%, according to energy efficiency standards company Energy Star. In the US, this equates to about $50 per year. But, of course, it depends on where you live, your living situation and weather conditions.
If your plans change and you get home later than expected, you can remotely turn off your heating or air conditioning or make sure your home is at the perfect temperature when you arrive. This is very useful. I've been away from home for a few weeks and I don't want to go back to my cold apartment.
5. Use smart blinds
(Image credit: Eve)
Smart blinds are another option, and while they can be more involved to install and configure, the energy savings are worth it. Many are equipped with light sensors, which not only allow you to wake up to natural light each morning without getting out of bed, but also help you save energy.
For example, my apartment gets very hot in the summer when the sun shines from 2pm to 6pm, making it unbearably hot inside and I have to close all the blinds and turn on all the air conditioners. It's about now. (And there are quite a few…). If your room gets hot when you're not home and you forget to close the blinds, the oppressive heat will come back and may take all night to dissipate.
The same thing works in reverse in winter, when smart blinds reduce the amount of heat lost through windows and encourage natural heating from sunlight during the day.
6. Jump into smart appliances
From this point on, things get a little more expensive, but you're most likely to get the biggest return after the biggest investment. Enter smart appliances.
Smart appliances like those made by Samsung offer many exciting features, from refrigerators with recipe assistance to washing machines with smart displays, but the most exciting thing is that these smart appliances increasingly It's about being conscious of energy. Not only do many products rank highly for energy efficiency, but some also boast amazing features.
7. Automate, automate, automate!
Most of the devices mentioned here save energy naturally without any effort. But the best way to get the most out of your smart home is to get used to the automation and smart home ecosystem so that everything works in harmony.
Setting up triggers using multi-device responses can save you a lot of time, effort, and energy. What's not to like about that?
Love it or hate it, the best way to get the most out of your smart home is to pack as many compatible devices as you see fit and find clever ways to make them work together. This also applies to energy savings. Too.