Smart home automation features provide convenience, flexibility and security for homeowners and business owners, but did you also know it can increase the sustainability of your home and reduce your carbon footprint? From optimizing energy consumption to learning your behaviors to increase efficiency in your home, there are many “green” benefits of upgrading to a smart home. One of the top benefits of smart home automation is that its integration is seamless with little to no effort on your part.
Continue reading to learn how to be more sustainable at home with the help of smart automation.
Decrease Energy Usage
Connecticut ranks 7th as the highest residential electricity bills in the U.S. and costs approximately 19% more than the national average. Going green with smart home automation will not only help the planet but also your pocketbook. Smart thermostats take the thinking out of controlling your home’s environment by automatically turning off or adjusting to a more energy-efficient temperature when no one is home. Smart technology integrates with your home’s new or existing dimmers, timers and occupancy sensors to reduce energy waste. This is all done automatically!
Smart technology learns your routine so it can expertly optimize your home’s energy consumption; your air is cool and comfortable when you’re home, lowered when you’re away; and cooling or heating automatically kicks on in a timely manner to prepare for your arrival.
Another smart benefit of climate control is that it can be easily controlled from anywhere using an app. Effortlessly adjust thermostat levels, lighting, etc. from outside the home with the push of a button.
Did you know that you have many energy vampires living in your home? An energy vampire is a device that continues to use energy even when it is powered off and is responsible for up to 20% of your electrical consumption. A smart switch or plug monitors your home energy consumption and controls how much electricity certain devices in your home can use.
Lighting Efficiency
Our carbon footprint is largely made by electricity consumption, but lighting also plays a major role. In fact, 17% of our carbon footprint is due to lighting alone. This is where the use of smart lighting comes in; the lighting technology designed for automation efficiency. The easy switch from regular incandescent light bulbs to smart LED bulbs decreases energy consumption and waste. LED lighting alone uses 75% less energy and lasts 25 times longer than regular bulbs. Energy.gov states that widespread use of LED lighting has the greatest potential impact on energy savings in the U.S. Energy sustainability is maximized when you combine LED lights with smart lighting automation, which automatically powers lights and dims lights throughout the home based on the time of day, room occupancy, personalized settings, etc.
The Control4 app (one of our favorite technology platforms for smart lighting) allows homeowners to automate their indoor and/or outdoor lighting with the use of an Apple or Android smartphone. It can be programmed to turn lighting on or off as needed, creating smart energy savings. Smart lighting can reduce your lighting energy costs by up to 35%, making it another smart addition to your home.
Automatic Shading and Sustainability
It’s important to know that windows are one of the greatest contributors to energy loss in the home. Smart shade control fully integrates into your smart home ecosystem and increases sustainability. 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. They are fully automated, just like the rest of your smart home.
This technology works with Mother Nature to leverage natural light to save energy usage. On cold days, automated shade control allows light to penetrate your home, while in the heat of summer the shades lower to block out the sun’s rays. At night, shades lower to conserve energy and provide privacy. Smart shading connects with your smart home hub to sense your home’s activities or follow personalized settings to help minimize energy usage from your HVAC. This will also improve the comfort of your home as you can draw blinds during the hottest part of the day.
Living a sustainable lifestyle has never been easier with the help of smart home technology.
Ready to Learn More?
Lifetronic Systems, Westport, CT, specializes in delivering smart home automation that will help create a more sustainable lifestyle. If you’d like to learn more, please do not hesitate to contact us today.
