Save money on your energy bills with smart home technology

This is particularly beneficial in the winter when heating costs peak and we also have the added costs of Christmas to think of. In this blog, we will explore different smart home products and how each can help you become more sustainable in your energy use and in turn help save money on your household bills.

Smart energy meters

To stay on top of your energy bills, think about implementing a smart energy meter. This clever gadget can help monitor your energy usage in real-time and identify any appliances that are draining energy. Bringing more awareness to your energy usage may help you give more thought to where you can save energy and therefore cut money spent on your bills.

Smart thermostats

To take control of your heating, install a smart thermostat. These intelligent devices learn your habits and automatically adjust the temperature, to avoid needlessly heating unused areas of your home.

A good example of this is the Smart Thermostat from Somfy, which has a geolocation function to  automatically decrease the temperature at home when you leave the house, and increases the temperature as you get closer to home, ensuring you get a warm welcome when you come through the door.

As heating can be one of the most expensive household bills being able to control it more efficiently and reduce energy wastage could mean significant savings each month for your bank account.

Smart shading

For even greater efficiency combine your smart thermostat with other smart home solutions such as motorised blinds. You can programme them to work in tandem together to save even more energy and money on heating and cooling your home.

Electric blinds and shading harness sunlight and can be programmed to automatically open and close on a timed schedule. They can also work with a sun sensor or could even be controlled with a smartphone. In the winter, blinds can be programmed to open during the sunniest time of day to optimise sunlight to warm the home naturally. Blinds can then be automatically lowered before the sun goes down, to hold in the heat and give you privacy in the evenings.

By working with the weather outside, your home will be working smarter rather than harder to maintain a comfortable temperature, whilst also conserving energy and resulting in less costly heating bills, win-win!

Smart lighting

Everyone is guilty of occasionally leaving the lights on unnecessarily but smart lighting can step in to help you in this department. Smart lighting can be controlled in a number of ways to suit different homes and lifestyles. You can use a smartphone, motion detector or a smart speaker. With more control, smart lighting improves convenience as you can ensure you are just paying for the electricity you are making use of.

In addition to their energy saving benefits, smart lighting allows you to create pre-set scenarios; so, with the click of a button, you can programme your favourite atmospheres at home. For example, dim the lights for a movie night, set an ambiance for a romantic dinner or have darkness for a nap on the sofa.

Another option is to use smart lighting as an additional security measure. This gives you the option to remotely switch the lights on and off to simulate a presence in the house; acting as a burglar deterrent. While it might seem counterintuitive to turn the lights on when you aren’t even home, for many deterring potential burglars justifies the extra energy expenditure.

Smart plugs

If you haven’t yet implemented any smart home technology but would like to give it a try, a great first step is to try smart plugs. Smart plugs can turn any appliance into a smart product, preventing passive energy drain. Standby power use is a significant contributor to energy wastage, so a smart plug can make sure you’re not paying for wasted energy. You also have the ability to control the plug through an app on your smartphone, which can allay any worries about not having turned your appliances off after leaving the house, instead simply turn the plug off remotely.

While smart home technology does require an upfront payment, these devices will help to decrease monthly expenses for years to come, making your home more energy efficient and sustainable, as well as making your life more comfortable and convenient. Some smart home devices such as shading and lighting also have a secondary benefit of preventing you becoming a target for burglars by simulating a presence in your house.

Whether you’re looking to begin your journey of smart home automation or wanting to expand your collection, Somfy is here to help with smart home devices to help you save money on your energy bills and automate your home.