Many people have started making the switch over to smart homes. These devices and appliances can automate some of the most basic parts of your day. Certain smart home devices, like a smart door lock, can even keep your home safer. Even more people are interested in making their homes more environmentally friendly.
These can seem like two conflicting trends. If you already have a smart home, you might think that it’s impossible to turn it into a green home as well. Technology might not seem to fit with being green, but the two are actually very easy to combine. Not only will this save energy, but it can also help you save money.
Thermostats
Heating and cooling your home traditionally require huge amounts of resources. A simple way of cutting back on the energy used for this is by using a smart thermostat.
These types of thermostats can more effectively heat and cool your home so that you know no energy is being wasted. Smart thermostats are easy to set up and you can control them with your phone. It will pick up on your habits, like what times you’re typically away from the house and when you tend to turn the temperature up. Then, it will be able to adjust the temperature itself based on your behaviors. You can also heat certain rooms according to what they need, if some rooms get warmer naturally, they won’t need as much heat.
Lighting treatments
The best way to light your house for the environment is by letting natural light in. However, we all know that doing so isn’t always an option. Turning on your lights doesn’t mean you have to waste energy when you use smart light bulbs. With a traditional light bulb, you don’t generally have much control over the amount of energy you use. Smart light bulbs allow you to adjust the brightness, usually right from your phone, so you can light a room only as much as you need. By keeping the light dimmer than the full strength, you’ll be pulling less energy.
Irrigation systems
If you’re interested in going green, you’ve likely gotten into growing a garden or produce on your own. While this can be a great way of getting in touch with nature, it can also be a huge waste of water. Depending on your you live, you might depend almost entirely on water plants yourself to keep them alive. Consider getting a watering system that will only give plants as much water that they need. This way, you have no fear of overwatering and using up more than you have to.
Power strips
For any traditional appliances, you can still conserve energy with a smart power strip. This will help to turn parts of them into smart devices, just by plugging them in. A traditional power strip will still pull some power for devices that aren’t being used. Smart power strips will stop any energy being used for devices that aren’t on.