Our homes have become a constant consumer of energy, so it is important to try and reduce the carbon footprint of every home around the world. Home automation services do a great job of helping families minimize energy usage and preserve the environment, and also offer the ultimate in convenience. Especially during summer, with rising electricity bills, take the time to use your home automation system to run your home efficiently. It can also be a lot of fun!
- Monitor Energy Usage
Look at your monthly utility bills. See how much energy you’re using and what systems are costing you the most. Normally, the biggest perpetrators of energy waste are the water heater and the cooling system. You can use home automation technology to track energy usage in real time and identify all your home’s worst energy wasters.
- Use Smart Plugs
Smart plugs are an awesome way to control your energy usage. You can turn off the smart plug when an appliance is not in use. For example, when your TV is plugged into a regular outlet it is always using energy, even if it is not turned on. With the smart plug, energy will only be utilized when the TV is in use. When you think about all the TVs, computers, and other devices that are plugged in all the time, a lot of electricity is being wasted.
- Update Your Lighting
Believe it or not, even the type of lightbulb you use can help you save energy. Incandescent lightbulbs consume and waste a lot of energy, accounting for 35% of carbon dioxide emissions from electric power plants. Smart bulbs will save you money and make homes more energy efficient. Just like the smart plug, you can control your smart bulb from your phone and monitor how much electricity your lights are using each month. Smart bulbs also allow you to put the lights on a schedule or simply shut them off from your smartphone, this way no lights are left on when they shouldn’t be.
- Control The Thermostat
Most people use default settings on the thermostat. Often, this is not the most energy efficient way to regulate the temperature in your home. Switching to a smart thermostat can save you around 10% on heating and 15% on cooling throughout the year. The smart thermostat automatically adjusts the temperature in your home by accounting for various factors like outdoor humidity and precipitation. It also changes the temperature depending on the time of day and whether or not you’re home. You can also control your thermostat from your smart phone, so you can have full control from any location.
- Stop Wasting Water
The average American household uses about 320 gallons of water per day. One third of that water is used to maintain lawns. Smart irrigation systems prevent the waste of water and save up to 8,800 gallons of water per year. The system uses AI technology to sync with local weather predictions and help keep your garden and yard healthy by ensuring you don’t overwater.
To reduce the overall carbon footprint on the world, each person needs to make an effort. Home automation services allow you to save energy and monitor how much you are using. Install some new home automation devices and watch how much money and energy you can save!