Tips for saving energy this winter using “smart” technology

Posted on Friday, November 16th, 2018

With over 2.1 billion people owning a smartphone, smart technology is now the norm. Smart technology has made its way into our everyday lives and is now in our homes.

With smart technology comes automation. We are able to control just about everything from our very fingertips, from entertainment systems to our security systems. Voice assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Echo have certainly made our lives more convent but the addition of smart home devices can not only make our lives more convenient but as they tend to be more energy efficient, they can help us save money.

With winter fast approaching, it is likely that many of our bills are going to increase tenfold but can smart technology help us to reduce costs?

Maintain a comfortable temperature with a smart thermostat

When the chill of winter rolls in, it is tempting to leave the heating full blast in an attempt to keep warm but doing this will quickly rack up a pricey energy bill. By installing a smart thermostat, you can put an end to this. By connecting to Wi-Fi smart thermostats will automatically adjust heating and cooling temperature settings in your home.

They will allow you to programme your preferred temperature and develop an ideal schedule meaning that your house can be heated in time for people arriving home. The smart thermostat will provide energy usage that you can easily manage and control through your smartphone. By cutting off on, or close to the desired temperature, the addition of a smart thermostat will help to cut your energy costs.

Monitor your energy usage

It may be the case that you are unsure why your energy bills are always so high when it comes to winter. The installation of an energy monitor will provide you with all of the answers. Whilst simply installing an energy monitor will not save energy alone, as it tracks your usage, it will allow you to notice trends and which appliances use the most energy and therefore, act on those results.

Control your lights

Everybody is guilty of forgetting to turn off the lights every now and then and this is something that is even easier to do during winter as daylight hours are in short supply. Luckily, with smart technology, this will no longer be a problem for you.

Smart bulbs are LED light bulbs capable of connecting to the internet meaning your lighting can be customised, controlled and scheduled remotely. So, if everybody is out of the house all day, you can program your lights so that you can still arrive home to a lit house without having to waste energy during the day. Such bulbs are also highly versatile and their customisation options meaning they can turn on in sync with your morning alarm. We know all just hard it can bet getting out of bed during those dark winter mornings so this should certainly help you in that respect.
Energy efficient appliances

More often that not, it is the appliances of our home that are responsible for guzzling so much energy. Whenever you are on the lookout for new appliances, check their energy ratings.

Appliances with smart features will also save you both energy and money over time. Several washing machines on the market now tell you exactly how much detergent you need. Not only will the amount of detergent you use decrease but as incorrect detergent dosages increase water and and energy consumption, your energy costs will be reduced.