How has your favourite smart device changed your home life for the better? Maybe it’s Alexa making your favourite feel-good tracks available on request, or your Halo app warming up the house remotely as you head home after a long day. It seems too much to ask that tech accessories could save money on our energy bills too, but that’s exactly what these smart devices deliver.
In this blog, we combine amazing tech with energy-saving tips to help transform your property into a smart home this winter. From smart light bulbs and virtual assistants to intelligent thermostats, we’ve uncovered seven amazing electronic gadgets with the potential to revolutionise your home and reduce your electricity bill at the same time.
Smart Light Bulbs
When light bulbs were invented almost 150 years ago, who could have predicted we’d still be seeing this sort of innovation in the 21st century? Smart light bulbs have a surprising number of uses, from changing their colour to suit your mood to letting you dim the lights for a more relaxing atmosphere.
You can control many of the smart bulbs available on the market directly from your smartphone using an app, and their energy-saving features include light dimming to reduce electricity usage. IKEA’s range of smart bulbs include gadgets with a really smart feature that lets you programme the brightness of your lights for different times and situations, such as first thing in the morning or working from home.
Smart Thermostats
Technology is a wonderful thing — isn’t it incredible that we can now switch our heating on (or turn it up) from the comfort of a warm bed? A smart thermostat hooked up to a phone app means you can control your heating remotely, whether that means switching it on ready for when you get home or simply adjusting the temperature from your sofa if you get too warm or cool.
You can take control of your heating with a Halo smart thermostat, by changing your central heating temperature with simple voice commands using your Google Home or Amazon Alexa. With Halo’s innovative Geolocation feature switched on, its intelligent heating systems will cut out energy wastage by only warming your property when you’re at home.
Virtual Assistants
Whether it’s Alexa, Echo Dot or Google Assistant, there are some great opportunities to save energy if you have a virtual assistant or are considering buying one soon. These handy household gadgets can be used to control many of the items on this list, like home security tech and light bulbs.
Thanks to these devices it’s never been easier to get some quick energy-saving ideas for everyday scenarios, as you can now simply ask a virtual assistant for advice and get a response in seconds. You could even schedule in a daily reminder for yourself, giving you a nudge to think about how to reduce your electricity usage!
Smart Home Security
Smart security systems can offer a more energy-efficient alternative to traditional ways of scaring off potential intruders. Rather than relying on bright, energy-sapping fluorescent lights to dissuade people from wandering onto your property, you can take a more subtle approach with these clever gadgets.
You might be surprised to read that models like the bite-size Blink XT2 One Camera System can run for up to two years, powered by nothing more than a pair of AA batteries. These smart devices can combine your love of tech with increased security for your home, as well as helping you work out how to save money on your energy bills.
Smart Meters
A meter reader arriving at the door to check the electricity or gas meter is a distant memory for many of us, but now we don’t even need to think twice about providing readings. A smart meter cuts out the middleman completely, sending the latest information directly to your energy supplier.
This automated service delivers highly accurate readings, meaning we can say goodbye to the annoyance of estimated bills. Energy regulator OFGEM hopes that by showing us exactly how much power we use month by month, smart meters will save consumers cash as well as reducing emissions by helping us manage our energy use in a more informed way.
Smart Plugs
Having a house full of smart devices not quite enough for you? You can actually go yet another step further and take your plug sockets to the next level with smart plugs. This impressive tech can perform energy-saving tasks like making sure appliances are turned fully off rather than going into stand-by, which can lead to big savings on your electricity bills.
These innovative gadgets are basically adapters that you plug into a power socket, making it easier than ever to switch everyday devices on and off via an app. Smart plugs like the compact Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim are equipped with everything from voice control to a timer setting, meaning there’s no longer any excuse for forgetting to switch off the lights before bed!
Energy Monitors
An energy monitor can show you how to save even more money on gas and electricity around the house. These devices use intelligent sensors to measure the amount of power you’re using in real time. That means you can wander around your home turning appliances on and off to see exactly how much energy they use and work out how much they’re costing you.
The geo Minim Energy Monitor features a bright, easy-to-understand display and keeps track of information around energy consumption, CO2 emissions and room temperature. It will also keep a record of historical data so you can easily compare your energy savings as you make changes to reduce the amount of power your household uses.
A Few More Energy-Saving Tips
Now you’ve added a few more items to your wish list, how about a few energy-saving ideas while you’re waiting for those new gadgets to arrive? Our blog post 10 Ways to Improve the Energy Efficiency of Your Home is full of handy energy-saving ideas that can help you save money around the house, from insulating your loft to looking into solar energy and using a system filter to keep your boiler in great condition.
Bookmark our Ideal Heating blog for more boiler-related advice, expert tips and to stay up-to-date with the latest posts.
