Hundreds of thousands of people all across the country are looking at their electric bills and thinking the number looks far too high to be reasonable. Because of this, these same consumers are seeking out a variety of ways to save energy in their homes. Many have found the answer to this problem to be smart technologies which can interact with your home and maximize efficient energy use and fully eliminate wasteful energy practices. This not only saves money for consumers, but it also does wonders for the environment by reducing the consumer’s carbon footprint. So, what are these smart technologies and just how exactly do they help consumers save energy in their homes?
- Energy Efficient Appliances
- A Smart Thermostat
- Smart Blinds
- Battery Storage
Energy Efficient Appliances
Energy efficient appliances are getting smarter every single year. They are able to run on power saving mode much like how a laptop or cell phone will when it is near the end of its current battery life. One great example of this is refrigerators. When the door to a refrigerator stays closed, it can maintain its internal temperature fairly well thanks to heavily insulated doors. Thanks to smart technology, this fridge can then greatly reduce its draw of power and save your home hundreds of kilowatt-hours per year.
A Smart Thermostat
When you go to work and the kids go to school, the house sits empty for many hours each day. Because most people don’t care to come home to an overly hot or cold home after work or school, they usually leave the air or heat on all day despite being absent. This can quickly skyrocket the amount of energy you use and grow your energy bill. Smart thermostats are designed specifically to combat this issue. A smart thermostat works by programming your schedule into it and allowing it to shut off the air or heat during the day and then turn it back on prior to your return. This way, countless kilowatt-hours are saved every single day.
LED Lighting
Lighting is one of the biggest consumers of power in the home. LED lights offer consumers both longer lasting lights as well as cheaper to operate lights. This saves you money both in the long term and on your monthly bill. LED lighting fixtures can now also be fitted with motion detectors that are able to sense when someone is or is not in the room. This way, if lights are accidentally left on, it can shut itself off and save you tons of energy and money on your electric bill. Overall, LED lighting is one of the most common and quickest payback periods of any energy saving technique.
Battery Storage
Battery technology is becoming more and more intelligent as the days pass. This type of smart technology is increasingly beneficial to save both energy and money in areas that have a time of use charge. This means that a consumer may pay a higher price for power used during the day than they would for energy used late at night. Battery storage systems allow you to store energy when the power is cheap and then use this energy during the day. This also saves energy during the day because it gives consumers an incentive to only use as much energy as their battery can store. Products like an LG Chem Battery allow for this to be done simply and with minimal effort by the consumer.
Energy should always be thought of as a commodity. After all, almost every single person in the country uses it every single day. Although many of us tend to take it for granted that when you flip the light switch, the lights come on, this should be thought of as a responsibility to not overextend ourselves and to save as much energy as possible in the process. By utilizing one or many of these energy saving techniques, your home will greatly reduce its overall energy demand.
