Smart Houses and Electricity
Energy costs can leave a big dent in your bank balance, but there are ways to reduce your carbon footprint and bring down your outgoings. By creating a smart home environment, you can save electricity and live a more economical and affordable lifestyle. So let’s take a look at how different smart products can save electricity.
- Smart Thermostats
Research suggests that smart thermostats can save about 10% annually on home heating and cooling costs by intelligently regulating temperature. They can learn patterns and routines, turning the heating on and off when necessary. As smart thermostats can be controlled remotely via an app, it’s also possible to control your heating from a distance. So, if you’re not returning home for the night, you can turn the heating off to avoid using electricity unnecessarily. Many smart thermostats come with geofencing technology meaning they can also track your phone and switch the heating on when you’re close by.
- Smart Lighting
Smart LED lighting bulbs contain software that connects to an app or smart home assistant, eliminating the need for traditional wall switches. You can set lights to come on, dim or switch off at specific types of the day and control all lights remotely via your phone, voice command or a single interface. Products compatible with Control4 can also be intelligently connected meaning you can create efficient smart scenes. A Wake Up scene, for example, might turn the lights on low, play your favourite radio station and draw the blinds. After a set amount of time when you leave for work, everything will be turned off again to avoid energy waste.
- Window Treatments
Smart window treatments, including motorised shading, help to reduce excess glare and heat gain. This will keep your house cool and stop you spending too much money on air conditioning. In the winter, motorised blinds will rise with the sun so that you don’t have to rely on artificial light excessively. In an interconnected smart home, smart thermostats can sense when a room’s temperature is getting too warm or cold and prompt the blinds to open or close, helping to regulate temperature. Smart home specialists such as the team here at New Wave AV will help find the right smart products for you and link them via the Control4 interface.
- Motion and Light Sensors
Motion sensors can detect if someone is in a room. If they’re not, any lights that have been left on will be automatically switched off and the heating turned down. This instantly creates a more economical living space. Similarly, light sensors monitor the daylight levels in your home, turning indoor lighting on and off or dimming as appropriate so you always benefit from optimal light levels. Home technology is becoming increasingly advanced and with smart home savings to be made, it’s well worth checking out the array of smart systems available.
Contact New Wave AV today. As specialists working across Kent, Surrey, Essex, London and Sussex, we will be happy to offer you information and professional installation advice.
