A “smart home” refers to a home that has devices and technology that can be controlled remotely. This includes things like lights, thermostats, security systems and appliances. Smart homes aim to make homes more convenient, comfortable, and efficient using technology integration. The “smart” technology allows homeowners to monitor, analyze, and control energy consumption more granularly. This enables better habits and leads to increased efficiency.
In-Home Displays for Monitoring Usage
One key feature of many smart homes is an in-home energy display. This acts as a central dashboard that shows how much energy your home is using in real-time. Not only does it display overall usage, but it can break it down by specific devices, appliances, or systems. For example, you can see the current consumption of the air conditioner separately from the pool pump. This granular insight helps determine where wasted energy might be occurring.
In-home displays also allow you to control connected devices like smart thermostats with the touch of a button. Instead of getting up to adjust the temperature, it can be done remotely from the couch. Displays help increase awareness of your power consumption and can motivate reduced usage. They also provide custom recommendations for lowering energy needs based on analyzing your habits and home setup.
Programming and Controlling Thermostats
Most smart thermostats these days can be programmed and adjusted from your phone or other devices in your home network. This allows for precise temperature control, even when you are away at work or on vacation. Smart thermostats use a number of energy-saving features, like automatically going into an Eco mode when nobody is home based on motion sensor detection. This reduces energy waste from heating or cooling an empty house.
Most smart thermostat models also give reports that detail the home’s energy use patterns and trends over days, weeks, and months. Reviewing these reports helps you determine additional ways to increase efficiency by adjusting settings to align with occupancy patterns. Smart thermostats also learn your preferences and schedule to optimize heating and cooling cycles accordingly.
Automating Lighting
With automated smart lighting, you can turn lights on/off from anywhere via an app. Timers and motion sensors also automatically turn them off when not in use, preventing any lights being left on accidentally. This avoids wasting electricity illuminating empty rooms. You can also group lights together for convenient control. For example, turning off all first-floor lights with one command before heading upstairs to sleep.
Outdoor areas can benefit from solar-powered motion sensor lights. These avoid having to run electrical wiring while also not drawing any electricity from the grid. The integrated solar panel charges the light during the day. Then at night, the light automatically turns on only when motion is detected in the area. These solar-powered motion lights are a green option suitable for many exterior lighting applications.
Appliance Control and Usage Tracking
Numerous smart home systems give you the ability to control and track the energy use of major appliances. Smart plugs allow for the monitoring and management of devices plugged into them. Appliances connected to the network can also share usage data to cloud platforms.
With smart capabilities, notifications signal when laundry or drying cycles finish so clothes can be promptly removed. You can also start or stop cycles remotely, so you do not forget to start a delayed cycle. Analyzing the energy usage reports over time highlights inefficient usage patterns. The data allows you to develop good usage habits.
Energy Storage Through Home Batteries
Some smart homes are now adopting home energy storage solutions alongside solar panels. According to the good folk over at solar energy company Vivint Solar, these large-capacity batteries store excess electricity generated from roof solar panels during the day. The stored energy provides power to the home at night when solar cannot generate. This decreases reliance on the traditional electric grid while leveraging renewable free fuel.
The batteries also provide backup power in the event of blackouts. Critical devices continue running seamlessly using the energy storage reserves. When blackouts occur, smart homes avoid disruptions, food spoilage, and other issues that plague surrounding homes.
Water Reduction Through Smart Irrigation Controllers
Outdoor water usage from irrigation and landscaping accounts for over 30% of total home water consumption on average. Smart irrigation controllers help reduce that usage substantially by watering more intelligently. Instead of running on a fixed timer, smart controllers alter schedules automatically based on the weather.
The controllers connect to local weather stations and receive live data on humidity, rainfall, wind, and evaporation rates. Then, using that data and settings for each landscape zone, the controller waters appropriate amounts based on current climate conditions. This avoids over-watering, which wastes water. Watering cycles also adjust during rainy stretches to prevent irrigation right after recent downpours.
Properly using smart irrigation controllers typically reduces outdoor water usage by 20-40 percent annually. Since transporting and cleaning water is highly energy intensive, decreased usage provides cascading environmental benefits. Dialing sprinkler systems to align with real weather patterns saves substantial water and the embedded energy needed to process it.
Conclusion
Integrating smart home technology allows for increased convenience through app and voice controls. More importantly, it enables homes to become vastly more energy efficient. Monitoring usage in real-time raises awareness of consumption and motivates reduced energy habits. Features like programmable lighting, smart thermostat optimization, and solar integration then provide the mechanisms for actually lowering usage.
The modular nature of smart home platforms allows building a solution specific to your home. Start with foundational elements like a central controller and in-home display. Then progressively add capabilities over time like connected lights, thermostats, appliances. This achieves efficiency gains in manageable increments. Monitoring usage and utility bills validates enhancements are delivering real energy and cost savings over the long term.
The cost savings from increased efficiency, as well as leveraging renewable sources, leads to rapid payback on technology investments. Integrating smart home solutions creates an ecosystem for energy responsibility and environmental sustainability. The technologies benefit families today while also building a cleaner future for everyone.
