How to Save Energy with Home Automation

When it comes to saving energy, home automation can be a powerful asset. Here are some tips on how to use your home’s automation system to help slash your energy bills.

Smart Thermostat to Micro-manage Temperature Control

Set your thermostat at the right temperature to slash your energy bill.

One of the easiest ways to cut down on your energy bill is to change the temperature settings on your thermostat. For example, if you have the thermostat set at 20 degrees, but it is often unoccupied, you could save up to 30 percent of your home’s energy costs by simply changing the thermostat setting to 25 degrees.

If you’re going to automate your lights, aim to do so intelligently. For maximum convenience, it’s a good idea to program your lights to turn on and off at various times while you’re not at home or sleeping and to adjust to suit different conditions.

For example, if you’re going to be away, set up your outdoor lights so that they come on at dusk and turn off at sunrise.

Of course, there are some alternative methods of saving energy that don’t have anything to do with turning the temperature down. For example, you can use a ceiling fan or a box fan to save energy. In some cases, fans can cool off a room instead of using air conditioning. Scheduled home automated ceiling fans can help improve the efficiency of your air conditioning and heating systems by circulating cool or warm air as needed. They can also help save money on energy costs year-round.

Leaving home in a hurry? Maybe you left something on by accident. Your home automation system can be programmed to scan through your home devices and turn them off or to modify their power usage. There are a variety of ways to activate this feature depending on your home automation system and its associated apps. Smart security systems have motion sensors and smart switches can detect how far away you are from your home. Initiating the master power command to turn every non-essential device off is a huge plus for cost savings.

This feature doesn’t stop at devices that are fully powered up and eating away at your power bill. You can also target those devices that have their own built-in standby mode because guess what? They still use power.

Many homeowners are not aware of how much water their sprinkler system wastes on a regular basis. Smart sprinkler systems can plan the most effective watering schedule for your yard, reducing water waste that usually occurs due to poor sprinkler positioning or evaporation. Water leak sensors alert you to a chronic drip before your water bill does, so you can take steps to fix the issue and avoid costly repairs. Different cities and states offer energy rebates for homeowners that adhere to certain guidelines. Some of these guidelines may be achievable through the use of smart home automation to meet the requirements. Check to see if your part of Tennessee has a system in place for you.