Smart home technology comes with serious perks – added safety, convenience and the optimization of daily tasks – but most attractive to some is the significant cost-savings seen on the monthly electric bill. Here is how to reduce your monthly bills with the help of smart home technology.
1. Schedule Appliances to Turn Off & On
Whether you realize it or not, phantom energy loss is happening right now in your home. Phantom energy loss refers to the energy pulled from appliances that are on standby mode or even turned off, but still plugged in. Typically, this power loss can represent up to 15% of your total electricity bill!
P&G states that there are two ways to guarantee that this energy suck does not happen to you:
- Manually unplug all appliances when they’re not in use.
- Add all of your appliance’s power sources to a power strip.
Well, we have a third solution to introduce!
Smart home apps make it easy to ensure home appliances are turned off (and yes, completely off) when not in use and/or plugged in. This technology cancels out any standby mode to make sure it is not using energy. For example, you can schedule your coffee maker to turn on every morning at a certain time and turn off as soon as it’s finished. Or, make sure all other appliances are turned completely off when not in use, such as hair blow dryers, microwaves and TVs. Using these types of automation settings can make your daily life more convenient and reduce your electricity use! It’s also one less chore for you to remember to do.
2. Smart Blinds Create Smart Savings
Did you know that windows are one of the greatest contributors to energy loss in homes? When you add the right window treatment, such as insulated smart shading, you can reduce energy loss up to 40% and create greater comfort in your home all year long.
Smart blinds are automated window shades that are powered by motors to open and close. These can be controlled from a remote, app or voice command. In both summer and winter, they physically block outdoor temperatures from penetrating your home and cut down on cooling and heating expenses.
This smart automation comes loaded with customization with the ability to automate your smart blinds depending on:
- The time of day or night
- If someone is home or not
- If indoor temperatures need to be stabilized
- Personalized security settings
Most smart blind technology comes with built-in light sensors that control the shades to open and close based on outdoor temperatures. This takes the guesswork out of moderating temperatures.
3. Smart Thermostat that Makes Smart Decisions for Your Home
Imagine going to sleep every night in the ideal temperature for sleep, rising the next day to it being a few degrees warmer and then finally adjusting to an energy-efficient mode when you’re at work. All of this is possible without ever having to touch the dial thanks to the smart thermostat.
Smart thermostats work seamlessly in your home by learning your daily habits over time. From this data, the system adapts and creates homeowner preferences based on activity. This automation is as convenient as it is efficient and can actually save homeowners an average of 10-12% on monthly heating costs and approximately 15% on cooling costs.
Of course, this all depends on your location, temperature preferences and home size. To calculate the approximate energy savings for your home,
4. Smart Lighting Illuminates Energy Savings
If you leave home in a rush, forgetting a hallway or basement light is probably a daily occurrence. Smart lighting solutions make this issue a problem of the past.
Smart home technology easily adapts to your schedule. Lights in pre-selected rooms automatically turn on when you’re home and turn off when you’re not home. Smart home lighting is powered by smart bulbs, which are LED and connected to the Internet. These bulbs receive signals from your smart home hub that commands them to turn on and off as necessary.
This isn’t only good news for energy savings, it’s also an important security measure. On your next vacation, you can program lights to turn on and off as scheduled, so that it appears someone is home and ward off would-be-intruders.
Smart lighting can reduce your lighting energy costs by up to 35%, making it another smart addition to your home.
Ready to Learn More?
Lifetronic Systems, Newport, CT, specializes in delivering smart home automation that will save you money on monthly electric bills. If you’d like to learn more, please do not hesitate to contact us today.
