Smart electrical solutions provide homeowners with a way to maximize energy efficiency without making any major changes to their home. They can be used to automatically turn off devices, reduce phantom power, and optimize the usage of appliances.
One major energy waste is called “vampire” or “standby” energy, which uses electricity even when the device is not in use. Vampire energy can account for 13.7% of a typical US household’s annual energy bill.
Smart Plugs
Smart plugs are a great way to cut your energy consumption without having to make significant changes in your lifestyle. They can be used to control lamps, small appliances, and even holiday lights, and some even come with energy monitoring features that help you track your usage over time.
Many smart plugs can be controlled using voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Home or Apple HomeKit. They can also be used to automate tasks, such as turning off appliances when you’re not home or scheduling them to turn on or off at certain times.
One of the biggest ways a smart plug can help you save money is by limiting energy-wasting phantom loads. Often called “vampire” appliances, these devices use power when you’re not using them or leaving them plugged in, which can add up to big bucks on your electricity bill.
Fortunately, many smart plugs and apps now allow you to completely shut down these phantom loads so that they can’t be drained of all their electricity by your smart appliance or plug. This means that you can turn off your television or computer when you go to bed, for example.
Some smart plugs, including the Emporia Smart Plugs, can also be used to monitor your energy usage over time. This allows you to identify your biggest power-using problem areas, and then work on changing them so that they don’t consume as much power.
Another popular way to save energy is by coordinating your electricity usage around peak times, when the demand for power is highest. This will help you cut your energy bills in the long run.
To do this, you’ll need to connect your smart plug to an app that can track your energy usage over time. Most of these apps have a few different charts that show you exactly how much your appliances are using, and then let you create schedules or timers to reduce those power costs.
Some smart plugs even offer a range extender to improve your Wi-Fi connectivity in areas where your coverage is spotty. You can then control your smart plugs remotely with a smartphone or tablet and your voice assistant of choice.
Smart Thermostats
Smart thermostats can maximize energy efficiency in your home by ensuring that your heating and cooling systems only run when necessary. They do this by adjusting temperatures automatically to your preferences, taking into account your location, time of day and temperature needs. This is especially important when you’re away from your home, as smart thermostats can save you money on your utility bill by cutting back on the amount of electricity used to keep your house comfortable.
Thermostats that are connected to the internet can also help homeowners take part in demand response programs, which reduce energy usage during peak times on the grid and support resiliency. These programs can help lower the cost of energy for homeowners and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as less energy is needed to generate power when demand for electricity is high.
Many smart thermostats have features that make them easier to use, such as voice control, which allows you to tell your thermostat what to do without having to reach for a remote. Some can even work with Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit to automate a range of tasks and provide feedback about your energy usage.
Another way that smart thermostats can save you energy is by enabling you to set a schedule for when the system should turn off. This can be done by detecting when you’re asleep or away from the house and shutting off the system accordingly.
Most smart thermostats can be controlled remotely through a smartphone app. This makes it easy to monitor and adjust your home’s energy usage from anywhere in the world, so you can ensure you’re not using excessive amounts of energy when you’re not at home.
Smart thermostats are also able to learn your energy habits over time, adjusting their settings based on the information they collect. The latest generation of Nest learning thermostats, for example, can track where you and your family spend most of your time in order to program your heating and cooling to match those patterns.
A smart thermostat can reduce your home’s heating and cooling energy use, making it a great investment for homeowners who are looking to maximize their energy savings. It can also help you meet key energy efficiency mandates and earn instant rebates from your electric or gas utility.
Smart Lighting
When it comes to maximizing energy efficiency in your home, the first place that many people turn is lighting. Smart lights offer a range of features that can improve the way you light up your home and save you money on electricity bills in the long run.
Smart lighting can make it easier to turn on and off lights in different rooms, as well as change their colour. They also allow you to control your lights remotely, with an app or voice commands.
There are a number of different smart lighting solutions available to choose from, so it’s important to choose the right one for your needs. These include fixtures with motion and lighting sensors that can automatically switch on and off, depending on the amount of light or movement in a room.
Another option is fixture-level occupancy sensors that can detect when a specific light or group of lights are not occupied. These systems can be extremely helpful if you’re not home and want to avoid wasting energy by leaving lights on.
Some of the more advanced smart lighting systems will also incorporate machine learning techniques to learn the daily patterns of occupants in your home. This allows your lights to automatically switch on and off at different times of the day, allowing you to minimize the use of energy and save money on your electricity bill.
If you’re worried about the safety of your children, integrating motion-detection sensors into your lighting system can be helpful too. These will automatically turn on lights whenever someone moves into a particular area of the home or if an unexpected guest enters.
In addition to lighting, there are a number of other smart electrical solutions that can help you maximize your energy efficiency. These include smart switches that can be controlled by an app on your phone or tablet, as well as programmable smart plugs that can be adjusted to suit your needs.
Another option is to connect your smart lighting to your internet router via a Wi-Fi bridge, which is an inexpensive way to add more functionality to your smart lights without adding additional wiring. However, this can slow down the response time of your lights if you have a lot of devices connecting to your Wi-Fi. Additionally, if the internet goes down for any reason, this can affect the ability of your lighting to respond to changes in the environment or your preferences.
Smart Appliances
Smart appliances have the potential to save you a lot of money on your energy bills. Many of them can even alert you when they need repairs and diagnose any problems before they become more costly to fix.
Some of the most popular smart appliances are dishwashers, ranges, and dryers. These machines can be programmed to run in certain modes and are able to automatically start or stop cycles when you’re out of the house.
Several brands, such as LG Electronics, Samsung, and Whirlpool, make these types of appliances available to consumers at affordable prices. These appliances can also help you conserve water and energy.
Most of these appliances have a built-in Wi-Fi connection, so they can be controlled with an app on your smartphone or tablet. The apps offer a variety of functions, from simple to advanced.
You can remotely control these appliances from anywhere in the world, enabling you to prep meals and send instructions to your oven or dishwasher while you’re on the go. Other features include remote temperature controls, moisture sensors, and more.
Another benefit to using these smart appliances is that they can often be programmed to connect with your home’s electric grid and only use electricity when it’s cheaper to do so. This will save you money on your utility bill and also help to reduce carbon emissions.
Moreover, most smart appliances can be programmed to turn off when you leave the house or go to bed. This is important because leaving any device or appliance on all the time can cause it to consume power even when it’s not in use.
One of the biggest reasons why people end up spending more than they need to on their electric bill is because they have a large number of devices that consume power even when they’re not being used. This is known as “vampire energy.” You can avoid this by using smart plugs and sockets that will automatically shut off any connected devices or disconnect them altogether when they’re not in use.
