How do smart homes save energy? Smart home products help save energy by allowing the user to monitor and control energy usage in new ways. Use these 7 smart home products to save you money on your utility bills
When we started working on our $17,000 budget, one of the things we worked on was how to cut costs on our home expenses.
We thought we were being pretty frugal with our energy usage, but when we took a hard look at it, we realized we could make improvements on how much water, electricity, and heating & cooling that we used.
Using less energy means saving money, and for a one-income household, every penny saved is a penny earned, right?
Do Smart Homes Save Money?
The typical U.S. family spends $2,060 on average per year for home utility bills, according to EnergyStar.gov. What you pay depends on several factors, including the size and quality of your living space, the surrounding climate, and your usage patterns.
So I started looking into ways we could save money, and I discovered some helpful products that, once purchased, end up saving you money.
It sounds like an oxymoron to spend money in order to save it, but in the case of these products, it’s true! Small investments can save you big money.
With just a few smart purchases of energy-saving gadgets for the home, you can live more energy-efficiently and save money on your utility costs with very little effort!
Related post: What Do You Do When You Get Behind on Bills
7 Energy-Saving Smart Home Devices
Here are 7 home products that will help you slash your utility bills and save you money every month.
1. Emerson Sensi Touch Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Touchscreen
This Energy Star-certified smart thermostat helps you save on your HVAC energy costs, with features like 7-day flexible scheduling, remote access, and energy usage reports.
With just a tap of the easy-to-use touchscreen display or free mobile app, change or program your home temperatures.
These also were VERY easy to integrate with my Amazon Echo, so now I can change the temp just by yelling out: “Alexa, set downstairs to 76 degrees.”
2. Niagara Earth Massage Low Flow Showerhead
As a family of 6, we use a lot of water. Just getting everyone showered uses a ton of water by itself. That’s why I love this low flow showerhead that help save water without making you feel like you’re trying to wash under a dripping spigot.
3. Sengled LED bulbs
LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than traditional lighting such as fluorescent and incandescent lights.
Plus, they are just a really smart product to use in your home for many reasons:
- they draw less power
- don’t contain toxic elements
- are brighter so you don’t need to use as many
- last up to 6 times longer than the traditional light bulb.
All of those facts combine to make LED bulbs good for the environment! They may be more expensive than traditional light bulbs, but the money they save you pays for the difference many times over.
If you haven’t seen Sengled LED bulbs yet, you are seriously missing out!
These products are so much more advanced than just LED bulbs. For example, Sengled has bulbs that have stereo systems or security cameras or wi-fi extenders installed.
Also, you can control these bulbs from an app on your smartphone which measures your energy savings from these appliances.
4. Gosund Smart Plugs
Having smart plugs around the house is like having a universal remote in your pocket. You can check to see the status of connected devices from anywhere at any time.
They work with an app on your smartphone so you can turn electronics on/off from anywhere.
5. Smart Dimmable Switches
When it comes to smart lighting, one of the most natural ways to upgrade your home is with smart switches. They work as you expect them to, even when the internet goes out.
You can still control the lights from the wall switch like you always have (which is perfect when guests come to visit). But with smart dimmable switches, you’ll get some great features, like dimming and a pop-out remote to give you easier manual control of the lights. They’ll also work with existing light fixtures that may not accommodate a smart bulb.
Smart switches are a cheaper alternative to smart bulbs in a whole-house setup because one smart switch can control multiple bulbs and the price of some smart bulbs is comparable to the cost of a single smart switch.
6. Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller
Using a smart sprinkler controller is just smart. It gives you control over eight zones (or 16 zones, depending on the unit you get), with a master valve terminal for systems that have one.
It won’t water the lawn when it’s raining, windy or freezing, and you can turn it on and off remotely with your phone. Plus, it integrates with lots of other services and devices like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, and Samsung SmartThings.
7. Sense Energy Monitor
An energy monitoring system, such as Sense, helps to identify appliances that are quietly increasing your monthly utility bills. Install it in your electrical panel, connect to Wi-Fi, and view it in real-time with a smartphone app.
The device detects items in the home to identify vampire loads and see how much they’re costing you. I used this device, and with it, I determined that my computer, TV, and DVR were costing me a lot of money when not in use. I’m now more mindful to turn my computer off when it’s not in use.
Sense will help you identify problem appliances, form better habits, and reduce device consumption to help you bring down your energy use by up to 20%.
Related post: 8 Ways to Stop Spending Money You Don’t Have
As you can see, smart homes that use energy-saving gadgets can help reduce energy usage and save money. Use these 7 energy-saving smart home devices to save money and run an efficient home.
Related posts and resources:
- 11 Expenses to Stop Spending Money On
- Money Saving Hacks from an Extreme Cheapskate
- 6 Steps to Drastically Reduce Your Grocery Budget
- How to Feed Your Family on a Budget (so You Don’t Feel Poor)
- How to Save Money When You’re Broke
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