The little things you do often add up to big change. You’ll find few better examples of big change (monetarily speaking) coming from little things than what happens to your energy bill when you implement smart tech into your home. That’s because many of these little devices have the power to lower your energy bill by replacing the electricity-hogging devices you’re currently using.
How Smart Devices Save
Before we get to the smartness of these devices, here’s a quick question: if you were to walk around your home right now and count how many items in each room currently have an item plugged into an electrical outlet, what do you think that number would be? It’s likely higher than you think.
A study by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) found that U.S. households now plug an average of 65 devices into outlets around the home. Each one of those devices sucks up kilowatts whenever it’s in use. Many even suck up kilowatts when not in use—look up vampire power—it’s a thing! The same NRDC study found that “25% of all residential energy consumption is used on devices in idle power mode.” Your utility company charges you based on the number of kilowatts you use over time, so when you switch to a smart device designed to use electricity only when YOU want it to, you can lower your bill.
Using These Smarts Can Help You Save
Here are eight smart home devices with potential to lower your utility bill.
Glow Bowl
Ditch the plug-in nightlight for this motion-activated, battery operated light for late-night bathroom visits.
Casper Glow Light
Prefer to light up the path all the way to the bathroom at night? This nightlight is not only portable, it also helps you sleep. It can sync with your circadian rhythms and slowly darken the room as you fall asleep.
Smart Brew
Wake up after a restful sleep to a cup of Joe when you want it. Smart coffee makers let you set coffee to brew using a timer on your smartphone.
Smart Plugs
Now that you know vampire power sucks, it's time to try smart power plugs. These devices let you control all those electronics drawing energy while in idle power mode. Simply insert a smart plug into an outlet and plug electronics or appliances into it. You can either set a timer to turn off those power hogs, or use a remote control to turn them off while away from your house.
Smart Thermostats
A.K.A., programmable thermostats, these devices allow you to set the temperature in your home based on season, whether you're absent or present, while you sleep, and so on. Studies show they can save homeowners up to 25% on cooling or heating costs.
Smart Lights
After you switch to LED bulbs, switch to a smart lighting system next. Smart lighting allows you to control when lights are on, off, or dimmed from anywhere. No more realizing you left the lights on all day while away or at work.
Motion Sensors
Smart motion sensors can work with smart lighting or as standalone devices. You configure the sensors to turn lights on when you walk into a room and off when you leave.
Smart Blinds
On winter days, you likely keep the blinds open to let sunshine in, while in summer you close them to keep the heat out. Now you can control when they are open and closed with motorized blinds you work with a remote.
