Investing in smart devices for your home in order to enjoy a sustainable lifestyle can go a long way. Smart devices aren’t exactly that expensive, rather they fall within the affordable range and even if so, consider them an actual investment.
So how do smart devices and a sustainable lifestyle go hand in hand? Well, the majority of these devices are energy efficient, which means that they can cut back on energy consumption with the multiple features that they bring forth. And how does that happen? Here are 4 smart home devices that in their own way save up on energy usage as opposed to their traditional counterparts.
Smart Thermostats
Smart thermostats are here to cut down on energy wastage while simultaneously reducing your monthly utility bills overtime. The Google Nest Learning Thermostat is one that has been known to save on average around 10% to 12% on heating bills and around 15% in cooling bills.
So how do smart thermostats work? These are basically thermostat controllers that replace your ordinary one and connect with the home Wi-Fi network – which is essentially what allows you access to the device remotely and wirelessly. By remotely and wirelessly, we mean that smart thermostats feature their respective mobile applications downloadable onto smartphones and tablets – giving you access and control over your smart thermostats from practically wherever you are.
Some of these devices are also voice control enabled like the Ecobee Smart Thermostat, so you can call out for the device to turn down while you stand by the door ready to head out. Amazing right? This way you can even switch on the thermostat while you’re driving back home from work just so you can come back to a cozy environment.
Certain smart thermostats can also automatically adjust the temperatures and turn themselves down while there is inactivity for a certain time, or even switch to an eco-friendly mode to cut back on unnecessary energy usage. The Honeywell Home T9 and Google Nest Learning Thermostat feature this particular technology of adapting to your preferred temperature settings and adjusting the thermostat automatically in order to keep your home environment cozy at all times.
Smart Lights
Expect these lights to be controlled from your smartphones and with simple voice commands. Why? That is because just like all smart devices, Smart Lights feature their own respective mobile applicationsthat allow you to control these lights, individually or altogether with the help of an external hub that you would have to install in your home – and with a compatible voice assistant or a smart speaker you can enable voice control of these as well.
These smart bulbs are quite energy-efficient, given that they are LED bulbs that consume less energy anyway as opposed to ordinary light bulbs, and also because you can control these lights remotely and wirelessly. That leaves no room for carelessness because if you forgot to turn off the lights downstairs, you can do it from your smartphone, from the comfort of your bed. They also feature scheduling that lets you set operational schedules for every individual light bulb! How cool is that? And it’s also adds to the energy-efficient factor.
An additional feature that some smart lights include is the capability of these bulbsto change colors – anything fromwarm and white tones, to colored ones too.
Smart Sprinklers
Smart Sprinklers are a smart way for you to cut down on that water wastage, all the while protecting your lawn and keeping it fresh throughout the seasons. Water is becoming a scarce resource anyway, and smart sprinklers help sort out your watering needs in the process too, in order to maximize as well as correctly use the water supply.
Smart sprinklers usually include installing a controller, replacing your ordinary one for the sprinkling system that’s already set in place. These devices can then use weather forecasts to predict watering schedules and patterns and offer suggestions to users as well. In times of rainfall, it would avoid watering your lawn, and on hot summer days, it knows the exact amount your lawn would require and how frequently it would need to be watered. Users can also otherwise set schedules themselves through the respective mobile application.
Smart Plugs
We can say Smart Plugs are for those people that often forget to switch off the curling iron or the space heater, or the lamp in the living room because their laziness or clumsiness gets the best of them. But Smart Plugs are one of those devices that can help promote a sustainable lifestyle, here’s how.
These devices are external power sockets that feature multiple outlets oftentimes, and are plugged into a main power outlet. This way it lets you control the plug from your smartphones, tablets and even enable voice control. Forgot to turn off that curling iron? Pick up your phone and switch off the plug. Need to switch on that living room lamp while you stand in the kitchen? Just tell Alexa, Google or whatever voice assistant is synced to the device.
So if you’re looking to invest in any of these smart devices to cut back on the energy wastage in your home, or even just your utility bills, head on over to FirstEnergy Home and check out their catalog of smart home devices. You won’t be disappointed! Northwest Ohio residents can contact the Toledo Edison Customer Service for further information on smart home devices.