Smart Technology For Optimum Energy Efficiency in Your Home This Winter
Winter is coming. Is your home ready?
Let’s talk about all the ways smart technology can help to reduce your energy usage, keep your utility bills low, and not make you sacrifice the comfort of a bright, warm, and safe home this next holiday season.
Smart Thermostat to Keep Your Temperatures High & Your Heating Bills Low
Even if it shouldn’t be much of a surprise for us Michigan homeowners, every cold winter brings with it some expensive heating bills. This, paired with the fact that we tend to spend more time indoors during the dark, freezing winter months, means a lot more pressure is put on our heating systems, driving up our total energy use.
Smart thermostats are a worthwhile investment for many reasons. For one, it’s (literally) a smart way to save electricity, as these smart devices can fine-tune and optimize the way your heating system is running throughout each season.
You can automate it to turn down the temperature while you’re away or asleep at night, and have it rise to warmer temps when you’re expected to be back in the house. That way, you can easily reduce your utility bill without needing a million layers to keep you warm while you’re in your own home.
Other things you should consider doing annually to keep your heating system in tip-top shape include:
- Conducting an annual checkup to make sure it’s clean and running efficiently
- Do preventative maintenance and cleaning each season
- Replace the filter regularly and clean ducts
- Make sure nothing is blocking your air vents (for forced air systems) for maximum air flow
Smart Lighting to Keep Christmas Spirits Bright
First, if you haven’t upgraded your incandescent light bulbs to LED lighting, what are you waiting for? Did you know that only 2% of the emitted energy from an incandescent bulb is actually usable light? That other 98% is wasted heat!
LED lights are so much more efficient and last longer, and when paired with smart lighting technology, can be optimized to lower your energy usage despite the darker days. Automate lights to turn on and off before the sun rises or after the sun sets, or place smart motion sensors around your home so things will turn on and off automatically when there is motion detected in that area of the home.
Dimmers are another great way to save energy in your home. Dimming your light by even just 25% saves about 20% of electricity — plus, your bulbs will last even longer!
→ Eco Smart Home Pros Tip: Did you know that you could use smart shades to maximize sunlight in your home? Let the sun in during the day to naturally heat your home, and have them close at night to slow heat loss through the panes of your windows.
Smart Sensors and Smart Leak Detectors to Minimize Water Waste
Leaks waste a ton of water — according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, household leaks waste almost a trillion gallons of water across the States each year!
And while this is a tragic waste, it’s also some serious cause for concern for homeowners. Even during the most frigid of months, water leaks can cause some serious damage in no time flat.
Smart leak detector technology can be seamlessly attached to your sinks, toilets, and washing machines to identify trouble before it gets out of hand. Leak monitoring will save you a ton of money and a massive headache by alerting you to increased moisture levels well in advance, and can even be set to automatically turn your water off in situations where you’re unable to address it yourself.
Smart Appliances to Do All the Work
Smart appliances are more than just extra-energy-efficient gadgets — they’re actually changing how we interact with the things and working components around our home by communicating with each other – and us!
For example, you left your smart fridge open slightly when you grabbed your breakfast out of it. A few minutes later, you might see a notification on your phone telling you to go shut the door. Similarly, your smart washing machine can let you know if there’s something that needs to be repaired or changed out before it shuts down its system completely. This also saves you from needing to replace the machine altogether down the road.
Smart appliances are a phenomenal investment because they interface with other smart tech in our homes, allowing for total home automation!
Smart Home Hubs to Track and Control Energy Usage
Stay in control of your home, no matter where life takes you. Smart home hubs allow you to connect with a variety of the smart devices positioned around your home — smart thermostats, smart lighting, smart sensors, smart appliances, smart shades, smart security systems, and so much more — remotely from your smartphone or smart device.
Automate and optimize the way your home runs — set your HVAC to take a break when you head to work, and then turn up the heat before you get home at the end of the day. Schedule your dishwasher to run at night when energy comes at a lower price point. Program lights to turn off when the sun rises.
Feel secure knowing that everything will be taken care of at home when you’re headed away for the holidays, thanks to the latest and most innovative smart home automation technology available on the market.
Eco Smart Home Pros Can Help
Now’s the time to prepare for the impending winter season that’s just around the corner. Whether you’re putting together your holiday wish list or looking to make a few changes around your home before the cold and snow really sets in, Eco Smart Home Pros has the inside scoop on the best smart technology solutions you should consider adding into your home.
Plus, working with a smart home integrator will also help you to understand what else will be needed if you hope to increase your smart home infrastructure in the future. And we won’t just leave you to figure out the tech by yourself: our pros will provide you with all the training and tools necessary to troubleshoot any issues that may arise down the road and we’re always a quick call away.
With more than thirty years of experience in programming and technology, Eco Smart Home Pros believe that technology can be the answer to helping you live a happier, healthier, and more sustainable life. Our dedicated team of smart home installation professionals can help you develop a solution that’s optimized to your lifestyle, meeting all of your tech needs both at home and in the workplace. Learn more.
