When people think of smart home devices, they typically picture someone asking Alexa to name a song that’s playing or using a smartphone app to lock their doors. These capabilities certainly make our lives easier, but convenience isn’t the only factor driving the popularity of smart home devices. A recent survey conducted by Hippo found that there are four main reasons people are interested in smart home tech: convenience, home monitoring, added protection, and utility bill savings.
As experts in smart solar and battery storage, we want to focus on that final reason: utility bill savings. Making your home more energy-efficient is a great way to save on bills, and smart devices can help with this. Below are some ways that tech can help you use less energy, so you can spend less money on household bills.
Whole-Home Energy Monitoring
Energy tracking devices and apps, like the Sense Home Energy Monitor, can award you more control over your consumption, helping you minimize your electric bills. These tools show you which appliances in your home are on or off, so you can make sure you’re not wasting energy on unused devices (i.e. ghost electricity). They also allow you to see how much power each item in your home is using. This easy-to-access data lets you recognize ways you can increase energy efficiency for your home and save money. In fact, research shows that the ability to look at energy consumption in real-time helps reduce usage by up to 20%.
Decreased Water Heating
Though a hot shower is relaxing, it can be a huge energy sucker. In fact, water heaters often end up being the second-largest energy expense for households. A smart water heater can shrink this expense. Smart water heaters allow you to set what times the water will be heated according to your schedule, and lets you adjust the water temperature as well. This added control can result in big savings.
Water Leak Detection
Most homeowners know that water leaks can be extremely costly. It’s estimated that the average household wastes over 10,000 gallons of water every year because of leaks — that’s the equivalent of about 270 loads of laundry. Therefore, it’s a best practice to install water leak detectors in laundry rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, or any other spaces where a leak may occur. Smart water leak detectors can register leaking water, dips in water pressure, increased humidity, or cold temperatures that could freeze your pipes. The device will alert you of the threat and may even be able to shut off the valve.
Smart Fridge Cycles
Refrigerators run 24/7, so if you don’t have an energy-efficient model, your refrigerator could really bulk up your energy bill. Though smart fridges are best known for their ability to monitor your food supply, another added benefit is that they are typically built with energy efficiency in mind. They cut down on defrost cycles or set the fridge to run these cycles at off-peak times, when electricity rates are lower. They’re also designed to consume less energy in their cooling systems. Though these features may seem small, they can have a tremendous impact on your energy use and resulting savings.
Solar Monitoring
If you have solar panels, solar monitoring apps are another smart technology that you can take advantage of. These systems, like SolarEdge Monitoring app, maximize the value you get from your solar installation because they help you understand your energy generation. This data is beneficial because you can figure out when it’s the most optimal time to turn on your high load home appliances. For example, if you see that your production is highest in the mornings, you can run your washer and dryer in the morning, so you use the clean power you’re creating, instead of using (and paying for) energy from the grid at a later time. Additionally, solar monitoring apps help you save money because they ensure your system is operating as efficiently as possible. If you encounter any issues with your system, you can see it directly on the app and then call us to fix it. We’ll send an electrician over, so you can get your system back to producing power and saving you money.
The Future Is Now
Smart homes are the way of the future — and people are starting to take notice. If you’re looking to save money in your home, taking advantage of smart technology is a great way to do it. These tools can help cut down on a wide range of energy-related expenses and put money back in your pocket.
Make Your Home Smarter
Talk to our team today about integrating solar panels and smart home tech in your home.