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5 Smart Home Products that Save You Money
Smart Tech is hot right now. What began with ‘smartphones’ has now led to the ‘smart home’. In a smart home, you can find smart appliances such as lights, thermostats, home entertainment systems, and many more.
But what does ‘smart’ mean? The answer might be different depending on the device, but usually, it means they are wirelessly connected so you can remotely control or program them with an app on your mobile device or computer.
Considering smart appliances and wondering what to look for to save energy and money? Explore smart lighting, thermostats, and more here.
Table of Contents
Smart Thermostats
Smart thermostats are a step up from the standard programmable thermostats that adjust heating and cooling temperatures based on a schedule that you program. With smart thermostats, you can more easily and remotely adjust the schedules. Some apps can track your smart phone’s location and adjust temperatures based on where you are in your house or whether you are at home or away. This function can also be used to engage home heating or cooling on your way home, so it will be at the temperature you like when you arrive.
Another cool feature of smart thermostats is that some of them will attempt to learn your regular patterns, and adjust the temperatures accordingly, so you don’t have to.
These types of functionality are becoming more appropriate in today’s world where daily schedules are variable. If you are in and out of your house several times a day, smart thermostats can adjust the temperature of your home in real-time, making sure that you are always comfortable, but also saving energy by only heating or cooling when necessary.
Smart Meters
Smart meters are electric power meters that differ from a traditional power meter on your house because that they can track and record your electricity consumption every 10 or 15 minutes. Most of them can communicate with the power provider’s network so they don’t need to visit your house to read the meter every month, saving on utility costs. You can usually get access to the data from your smart meter, so you can have a much better idea of how much electricity you are using at what times. If you and your family have immediate feedback about your own consumption, then you are much better equipped to use less of it!
Smart meters are often installed by the electric utility, and in some jurisdictions, there has been a government mandate for installation on all homes. Once installed, there are many interesting energy monitoring devices and apps that will analyze the data and give you daily, weekly or monthly updates about how you are using electricity. If your region has smart meters or is getting them soon, check out the Green Button Data initiative. It’s an industry-led effort to make energy data access consistent and convenient. If your utility follows the Green Button data protocol, you should be able to use any compatible third-party app to view and manage your energy usage.
Dane George
Dane George holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Masters of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from Dalhousie University. He has three years of experience working with residential contractors with a focus on energy efficient renovations, and has worked with the Clean Foundation as a Certified Energy Advisor conducting energy audits of homes. Most recently, his graduate research involved analyzing electricity consumption patterns. Dane has also prepared and delivered workshops on home energy sustainability, and is currently teaching Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.
