Smart home devices are becoming commonplace in homes and apartments everywhere. They add a level of convenience and security that was possible just a few short years ago. In addition to these benefits, they also allow you to save energy in your home. This energy savings is good for the environment, but also saves you money due to lower utility bills. Below are a few of our favourite smart home devices that save both money and energy consumption. Not sure how you would use them? Check out these cool ideas!
Smart Light Bulbs
Lighting is one of the easiest ways to transform your home into a smart home. With smart light bulbs, you can turn dim and turn your lights on and off via your smartphone or voice assistant such as Alexa. Additionally, you can set up schedules/routines for turning lights on and off. Many smart light bulbs also have the ability to change colours. The best part – they are very efficient and can help you save on your energy bill!
Smart Plugs
Smart plugs are a very convenient way to turn almost any device in your home into a smart device. To use smart plugs, you simply plug your smart plug into your standard wall outlet. Then you plug your devices into the smart plug. There are almost limitless ways to use smart plugs in your home. You can use them to plug lamps into, kitchen appliances such as coffee makers, TVs, routers, etc. With a smart plug installed you can easily set schedules, turn devices on and off via smartphone or digital assistants, and even control access to limit screen time for you kids. Setting up a smart plug is a simple task. To complete setup, you just need to plug your smart plugs in, download an app on your smartphone, and then pair them together via your Wi-Fi network.
Smart Thermostats
The easiest way to save energy and money in your home is through the use of a smart thermostat. The two leading smart thermostats on the market are made by ecobee and Nest. These smart thermostats replace your existing thermostat and are very visually appealing. Many offer customization so that you can blend them into the decor of your home. With a smart thermostat, you can easily set schedules for heating and cooling and even control your home’s temperature while you are away. Another great benefit is that they will even learn your habits and automatically adjust to them accordingly. With a smart thermostat, you can also add room sensors that allow you to control the temperature of specific rooms. This is handy if you want to make sure your living room is warm at night while you binge your favourite Netflix show, without paying extra to have the heat all the way up in the rest of your home.
Digital Assistants
Digital assistants are typically the first step to making your home a smart home. They are affordable and can be found in more and more homes every week. The two biggest players in the market are Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home. These devices are voice-activated and respond to voice commands. You can use them to get the weather, news, play music and more. They become especially powerful when you use them to control the other smart devices in your home, such as smart light bulbs, smart plugs, and smart thermostats. Once connected, all of your devices may be easily controlled by simple voice commands from within your home. Using a digital assistant to control your other smart devices removes the needs to use apps on your phone and bring you fully into the world of smart home automation.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to make your home smarter. You can take the simple approach and just try out some smart light bulbs or plugs. Another option is to install a smart thermostat to give you more control over the heating and cooling of your home. This allows you to conserve energy and save money in the process. Many times a smart thermostat will actually pay for itself in a short amount of time. For homeowners who want to go all-in on smart home automation, setting up a digital assistant and connecting it to all of your devices, will give you ultimate control of your home through the convenience of voice commands.
POSTED BY 
