Winter is officially here, which means shorter, colder days are ahead for the next few months for those of us who call Michigan home.
And with the arrival of the bitter cold and darker-for-longer days comes an increase in our utility usage. After all, we’re spending more time indoors, turning on lights and cranking up the heat to keep us cozy for more hours every day.
That’s where smart technology steps in to help. Here are fifteen ways smart technology can help you to save energy at home this winter.
Table of Contents
Don’t Forget to Flip the Switch
It might seem obvious, but making sure you turn off unnecessary lights can be a big energy saver. Now, smart technology is making it even easier! Smart lighting allows you to control zones of your home remotely from a smart device like your cell phone, so you never forget to turn out the lights when you’re not in the room.
Smart light bulbs and dimmers are also great options to save your home a lot of energy. Did you know that dimming your lights even just half of the time can cut your electricity use by 40%? It will also help your light bulbs to last a whole lot longer!
Upgrade to LED Light Bulbs
Light emitting diode bulbs or LED bulbs produce light up to 90% more efficiently than their incandescent counterparts. ENERGY STAR rated products such as home LED bulbs are known to use 75% less energy while lasting up to 25% longer than regular light bulbs. By consuming less energy and using that energy more efficiently, LEDs play a big part in saving on home energy consumption — and your monthly electric bill.
Use Light Motion Sensors
If you’re prone to forgetting to turn the light off after leaving a room, you might want to install some smart light motion sensors to do the job for you. These occupancy sensors are able to detect activity and turn lights on automatically when someone enters the room and turn them off when the sensors indicate the room is empty again.
Smart Blinds & Shades
There are a ton of benefits to letting natural light heat and light up your home. For one, exposure to the light helps our bodies to produce Vitamin D, adjust our circadian rhythms, and helps us to be happier and more productive.
But beyond the physical benefits of sunlight, there are plenty of energy-saving ones to consider when it comes to opening the blinds at home or work. Sunshine can save you money on that energy bill by reducing your reliance on the lights around your home. With the help of smart blinds and smart shades, you can set up an automatic schedule to open the blinds during peak sunlight hours.
Leverage Geofencing Technology
Geofencing is a type of technology that creates a virtual geographical boundary that triggers an action when a mobile device enters or exits that boundary. While it’s commonly used in marketing to target potential customers, smart home devices have started to leverage this system to help homeowners configure their smart home technology to understand when they are at home versus away.
Now, you can set up your smart home devices to automatically turn off when you’re not in the home and to switch back on when your phone returns to the area. This can include your lighting, thermostat, appliances, and so much more!
Install Smart Plugs and Timers
A smart plug or smart timer allows you to control any electronic device via your smartphone or smart home assistant like an Alexa or Google Home. You can then use an app to set up a schedule to automatically turn on or off this plug with the push of a button or a simple verbal command. With the help of that same app, you can also set it up so that it will automatically turn off your smart tech when you’re out of the house or sleeping.
Plus, smart plugs use less power in standby mode than plugging an electronic directly into your regular plug so you can save a significant amount of energy over time.
Use Your Smart Home Assistant
A home assistant like Alexa or Google Home is instrumental in monitoring your everyday energy usage and helps you to optimize the times you use different appliances and lights around your home. Plus, these helpful smart assistants can set up regular reminders like to turn off lights, switch over laundry, check the thermostat, etc. that will help you stay on track with saving energy during the colder months.
Optimize Your Thermostat
A smart thermostat can be a serious energy-saver in your home. In fact, a Google study claims that switching to a Nest Learning Thermostat saved 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills, saving the average person anywhere from $131 to $145 a year!
One cool thing that the smart thermostat Ecobee+ offers is a “Time of Use” feature, which can preheat your home during those specific times of the day that renewable energy is plentiful and electricity is cheaper and cleaner (likely because it’s during hours when less people are home or using things around the home).
Make Sure Your Home is Properly Insulated
Rather than taking a chance that you’re overworking your furnace during the cold winter months, spend some time inspecting how well your home is insulated. Check the following areas to make sure your home is not losing heat:
- Doors and windows to ensure they are properly sealed and without any gaps.
- The foundation in your basement for any significant cracks.
- Any drafty areas that have a significant breeze (like the attic or basement areas of the home).
When in doubt, invest in some smart window or door sensors to ensure that they are being properly closed during both the winter and summer months so you don’t waste any energy!
Use a Smart Garage Door Opener
Your garage is an extension of your home, and should be protected as such. Use a smart garage door opener that seamlessly integrates with your smartphone to let you know if that door gets left open. It will also allow you to remotely open and close the door as needed, all with the simple touch of a button on your smart device.
Check Out Any Areas of Energy Loss
“Energy vampires” are devices that continue to drain energy and power from your home, even when they’re not in use. Things like larger appliances (think refrigerators, washers, and dryers), phone chargers, gaming consoles, coffee makers, printers, and so many more are still sucking energy from your home without you knowing it! The solution is simple: unplug things when they’re not being used.
Turn on Big Appliances Sparingly
It might sound like common sense, but if you want to save energy this winter, you should use your big appliances sparingly and at the right times of the day and night. For example, don’t run that load of laundry if it’s not totally full. Plus, take a look at your utility company’s website to see if they offer “time of use” rates that fluctuate depending on the time of year and hours. Avoid “on-peak” times when you can!
If it’s time to upgrade your appliances, consider spending a little more on a smart appliance that will save you on energy and electricity costs down the road.
Lessen Your Use of Hot Water
A simple change you can make to save some energy in your home is to limit your hot water usage. After all, your dishwasher or washer machine doesn’t necessarily need to be on the hottest water setting. In fact, today’s washer machines were designed for use with cold water.
Identify any Water Leaks or Freezes Proactively
Frozen pipes and water leaks will always lead to costly home damage and extensive repairs, which is why smart detectors are a must if you live in a cold climate like Michigan. By installing smart water leak and freeze detectors on your pipes, you can stop an incident from happening well in advance and take care of issues before they become something major.
You can also install these smart monitors and smart detectors under sinks, behind toilets, and around your washing machine to quickly detect any leaks that spring up over time.
Install a Smart Home Security System
Having your eyes on your home at all times to detect issues before they have time to become a full blown catastrophe. Thanks to a smart home security system, you can keep an eye on your house from anywhere in the world, and in some cases, use that very same app to control energy-related functions via your smart device. Home automation has a ton of benefits, all of which are designed to make your life easier, safer, and smarter.
Let Eco Smart Home Pros Make Your Home Smarter This Winter
Don’t waste any more time — or energy — this winter. Let Eco Smart Home Pros develop a custom solution to fit your needs and make your home a much smarter place. With over thirty years of experience in the tech and programming space, our dedicated team of smart home installation professionals can help you develop the perfect solution that will save energy all throughout 2023 — and beyond. Learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is energy conservation?
Energy conservation is preventing wasteful usage of energy, particularly in order to continue its availability to those who need it in the future. It’s the practice of using less energy in order to share the resource with others as needed. It does have other benefits as well, such as cutting back on energy costs and reducing the level of pollution put off by conventional energy sources.
What are the benefits of saving energy at home?
There are a variety of benefits to saving energy in the home. The first and most obvious is as a cost-effective measure to saving money. But conserving energy at home also reduces the level of harmful emissions given off in the atmosphere, producing an overall higher quality of life and cleaner air quality for all. Saving on home energy also helps us to sustain the limited resources we have in the world.
How can smart technology save energy in the home?
Different types of smart home technology will have different energy saving benefits, depending on your goals as a homeowner. For example, smart lights and smart plugs can be scheduled to turn on and off based on your daily habits, and can use geofencing technology to automatically turn off when you leave the home. Smart appliances consume less energy, and smart thermostats can cut almost half of the energy use heating and cooling accounts for in the home.
