How smart devices save energy

There are many energy savings methods consumers can implement to use less energy and save on your monthly electricity bill. One way that is beneficial is to be smart with smart home energy solutions. Smart devices connect to your smartphone or tablet through Wi-Fi and are designed to be more energy efficient than traditional devices. Adding smart devices are a great step to lower your electricity costs.

There are different kinds of smart devices. We outline their benefits and how they can help you save money.

Smart Thermostats:

Your HVAC system is one of the greatest energy expenses in the home. Smart thermostat technology can help you monitor your energy usage, allowing you to save on electricity. With a smart thermostat you can control the temperature from your phone or tablet. Having remote access means your AC or heater is not on unnecessarily when no one is home.

Features include:

• Built-in sensors to detect when you are home or have left the house. Some sensors can sense the atmosphere and movement in a room and can adjust the temperature accordingly.
• A heating or cooling schedule to set when you are sleeping, or times when you are arriving home. Some smart thermostats can also monitor and learn your habits. They will then automatically set temperatures based on how you’ve used the thermostat over time.
• Insights on how much energy the systems have consumed and notifications about energy savings.
• Temperature sensors for every room in the house ensure you can control the temperature in one room rather than having the system on for the whole house.

Smart Plugs:

As the cheapest smart device, smart plugs are a first start to transforming your house into a smart home.  A smart plug is a power receptacle that connects into an electrical socket and manages the energy consumption of the device plugged in them. You have control of whatever device is plugged into the smart plug through an app on your phone or tablet.

A smart plug will convert ordinary devices like fans, irons, or TVs into smart devices and can potentially help to conserve energy. Although a smart plug still uses energy, its efficiency will help to save more energy than it uses.

 Features include:

• Alexa or Google compatibility for voice controlling.
• Automatic functions to turn on or off devices. Smart plugs will turn off a device completely, rather than setting the device to standby mode which still consumes energy.
• Schedule programs to set specific operational times for lights to turn on or for the television to go off at a certain time.
• Dual device compatibility with a smart thermostat to automatically turn on a ceiling fan or space heater when a temperature is met.
• Energy consumption monitoring to see how much electricity your plugged-in devices are using. This can show which devices are consuming more energy than you thought.

Smart Lighting:

Purchasing smart LED lightbulbs is one step further in energy efficiency when you are optimizing your home from incandescent to LED bulbs. Powered through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, smart LED bulbs offer more capabilities than regular LED bulbs. Smart LEDs already use less electricity, however being able to remotely control your home’s lighting makes it even easier to use less energy.  

Features include:

• Group control functions to turn on/off a particular set of lights.
• Adjust the light's brightness, color, and temperature. 
• Lighting schedules to automate when and how your lights should be turned on or off. Schedules can be set for specific rooms and outside lights.
• Geo-location technology syncs to your phone. When all the connected phones are not in the home, the lights will turn off.
• Pairing to hardware switches, sensors, and other accessories for more control. You can add paired sensors to turn on lights when someone walks in a room, opens a door, or sits down.

Smart Appliances:

Smart appliances like ovens, refrigerators, toasters, or washing machines are improving how consumers use kitchen appliances. Like the other smart devices mentioned, smart appliances can be controlled and monitored remotely. If you are purchasing a new refrigerator or oven soon, you should consider a smart version.

 Features include:

• Alerts when the refrigerator door is open.
• Track dishes in the oven and adjust temperatures remotely.
• The cycle time for dryer can automatically adjust to turn off when the clothes are dry, avoiding over-drying clothes and wasting energy.
• Schedule cycles with a washing machine, remotely start and stop them and create and save custom cycles.

The smart features in these devices make it possible to lower your energy consumption and pay less for electricity. Start small with one smart device, and you’ll soon be on the path to energy efficiency and eliminating wasted energy in your home.