Making your home smarter can only mean one thing:money in your pocket. Connecting your home through a single device will allow you greater control of your local environment, where you can use a variety of devices, receivers, and applications designed to make your home more efficient.
One of the biggest benefits of a smart home is the energy saving technology available. Staying energy efficient with 6 smart apps that are kind to the environment Staying energy efficient with 6 smart apps that are kind to the environment In the digital age, living green isn't just about recycling. A little goes a long way when you consciously cut your carbon footprint. You'll be surprised how mobile apps can make that easier. Read more . In addition to saving money, you'll also be pushing toward a more sustainable and convenient living situation.
Let's look at some of the best devices to save money. 5 Smart Home Appliances You Should Buy 5 Smart Home Appliances You Should Buy The "smart home" concept is taking off and you need to keep up, otherwise you'll end up losing it. in the future. Read More
"Don't touch the thermostat!" my father roared. I never did, until I was on my own digs. Thermostats are no longer a challenge for me and I realize how helpful they can be in keeping the temperature in your home regulated.
There are already numerous smart thermostat devices on the market, but there is really only one clear winner. The Nest Learning Thermostat How to install and use the Nest Thermostat to automate energy savings How to install and use the Nest Thermostat to automate energy savings If you've ever thought about getting started with home automation, buying a Nest thermostat is the perfect way to start. In just one week of use, we cut our power consumption in half. Read More Learn about your daily heating habits, quickly schedule a schedule that fits your living patterns. It's a fast learning phase, too. In a week or so, the thermostat will start discounting that Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. likes the temp at a cold 53, or Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. likes a balm 78 for the bathroom..
The key is to provide the Nest with enough data to learn patterns. Once Nest has a few data points to extrapolate, it can continue to manage your heating, as well as your air conditioning. As it is a data-driven system, you just have to start modifying the input data to encourage Nest to change the schedule.
Nest is expanding its operations by teaming up with other successful smart home devices. Check through your Works with nest availability page.
Cost: $200+
Others: Ecobee Smarter Wi-Fi Thermostat, Allure EverSense WiFi Smart Thermostat, LockState WiFi 3-Stage Programmable Thermostat
Defining a single product for smart home energy management is difficult, not because there isn't one, but because you can combine many of them to get the ideal solution. As long as you're done saving money, you can play around with your smart home energy solution 5 Smart Hacks to Save Electricity in Your Smart Home 5 Smart Hacks to Save Electricity in Your Smart Home The trick to saving electricity is knowing where most of your energy is consumed. Read more.
Power management is about understanding peak and optimal times for device usage and changing parts of its behavior accordingly. There are a number of real-time energy monitoring tools that provide insight into your usage compared to the cost of energy at the time of use, allowing you to make adjustments on the fly.
In addition to this, a good power management center should allow you to turn devices on and off according to the optimal power times for your locality, optimizing energy use and minimizing waste. In other words, wholeheartedly saving cash.
Explore a mix of smart home devices:
Central management centers are extremely useful, especially if they integrate more with the broader smart home, or at least support third-party apps and devices.
Lighting falls under power, but needs its own little section. When you install your energy management devices, consider upgrading your lights to some type of LED bulb. They're bright, they come in all sorts of warm and cool colors, in all shapes and sizes, and many of them are now available for use with dimmer switches (they used to struggle! very long time.
It's a small switch that can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Another section of power. It's not exclusively smart home technology, but a strategic placement of solar panels or a wind turbine can generate enough power that you can become a little less reliant on the grid, taking power into your own hands. These can be quite the initial outlay, but will pay off decently over time in the medium to long term. An investment for your future, perhaps.
Controlling your smart home must be one of the most enjoyable parts of the process. In the early days of home automation, you would have a local distribution center for almost every device you installed. Now it's much easier, with dedicated home hubs that network each device and communicate using the entire wireless spectrum:WiFi, Bluetooth, infrared, NFC, ZigBee, Z-Wave and many more.
Homey is a colorful, spherical hub that acts as your home assistant, controlling everything and anything. Hub developers Athom have ensured that Homey is also fully voice-enabled, meaning you can speak softly into the hub or your phone to issue commands to your smart home. This one should be hitting the shelves. “around summer 2015.”
Cost: $299
Revolv is currently only available in the US, but it has gained a lot of supporters in the smart home sector. In fact, it's so well thought out that it's now part of the Nest Learning Thermostat Family of Fonts. . Combining the two devices in your smart home provides further unification of your gadgets and devices, all managed through a single convenient app.
Revolv can control smart lights, locks, cameras, monitors, and thermostats, as well as provide active geofencing for your property, meaning you can activate your automations when you cross your property threshold or turn them off when you leave.
Cost: It is likely to change as part of the Nest family. It was around $300.
Wink hub is another versatile smart home. Wink connects and simplifies your smart home. Wink connects and simplifies your smart home. The smart home market is full of innovative products, but they don't always work together. Wink sets out to connect them all in a truly smart way. Read more . What sets it apart from other smart home hubs is the wide range of associated products that will work out of the box. This includes all types of lighting, dimmers, switches, outlets, controllers, sensors, detectors, monitors, locks, meters, blinds, and irrigation controllers.
The hub was designed with functionality and efficiency in mind, and is certainly looking to offer it across a broad spectrum of smart home devices.
Cost: Starting at $100
Smart homes also extend to the garden. Installing a smart irrigation system will save you time and money, and give you the chance to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
The GreenIQ Smart Hub can be controlled over WiFi, across a wide range of devices, and can control your irrigation schedule, sprinklers, and outdoor lighting through a couple of buttons. You can actively respond to changing weather conditions in your local area over a period of time, monitor the nearest weather station, and respond accordingly.
Using a smart hub to monitor your watering habits can help you save up to 50% on your garden water bill, while keeping your outdoor space looking pristine.
Cost: $200+
Others: Rachio Iro 8-Zone Smart Irrigation Controller, IrrigationCaddy IC-W1 Irrigation Controller.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of smart home devices, but it should get you up and running with your smart home. You don't have to go out and spend on all the gadgets at once, that would be a bit expensive, but I would advise you to set a clear strategy for smartening your home.
You should also check out these 6 eco-friendly apps. Stay energy efficient with 6 green smart apps. Staying energy efficient with 6 smart green apps In the digital age, living green isn't just about recycling. A little goes a long way when you consciously cut your carbon footprint. You'll be surprised how mobile apps can make that easier. Read More:They're a great stepping stone to monitoring your carbon footprint, can be used in conjunction with your smart home, and give you great insight into energy consumption habits.
Evaluate your home energy costs. Evaluate the most profitable devices to bring. Install. Reap the rewards!
Is yours a smart home? What is your favorite smart device? Let us know below!
