SMART WAYS TO SAVE
Control your energy use even when you’re not at home and help to reduce your fuel bills
How exactly can our houses be turned into ‘Smart Homes’?
When we think of a ‘smart home’ we imagine something that saves time and money as well as bringing increased comfort and security. Essentially gadgets provide the convenience of remote control to a new selection of home products and appliances. By connecting app-controlled, internet-connected gadgets together they’re able to ‘think’ and act, so for instance, if the family is later home than usual, your home can pause heating schedules, delay the final spin cycle on the washing machine, change lighting schedules, even feed the pets!
Can these devices really help save energy?
Yes! Smart thermostats are proven to save money and some devices are designed to identify energy waste around the home. Smappee, for instance, tracks gas, water and electricity consumption and cost, helping you to see just how much your washing machine or heater costs to run.
What are the best for energy saving?
App-controlled thermostats such as Nest, Hive and Tado. Most manufacturers’ claim savings of around 20 per cent.
Are there energy-saving lighting benefits beyond opting for super-eco LED bulbs?
Swapping from old incandescent lighting saves money, as does moving to LED, even without the smart function. You can save even more through automation. In my home some lights automatically turn on when the light level is low and we’re in the kitchen, and automatically turn off a few minutes after we leave the room.
Surely smart home appliances cost more to run?
Smart appliances cost almost if not the same to run as non-smart devices, and the ‘smart’ component adds an untraceable amount of energy to turn it off remotely. Controlling something based on the individual demands of your household will save money.
Which one gadget would create a smarter, more energy-efficient home?
For an immediate impact on your energy use and bills, it has to be a smart thermostat. And if you want to learn more about how, what, where and who is using the most energy at home, a simple monitor like Smappee can teach you an enormous amount about how your home works.