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Smart home devices that actually save money
Homeowners are embracing smart home technology, not only because it makes daily routines convenient and easy, but because it offers cost savings on energy bills, too. Which devices are actually worth the splurge? Modern Flames shares a roundup of smart home devices that actually save money on bills.
Swap Your Incandescent Bulbs for LED Bulbs
“Lighting accounts for around 15% of an average home’s electricity use, and the average household saves about $225 in energy costs per year by using LED lighting,” reports the U.S. Department of Energy. Swap your incandescent bulbs for LED bulbs — they consume up to 90% less energy and can last up to 25 times longer. Go a step further and choose smart LED bulbs, which can be remote- or voice-controlled, and can customize your lighting to your daily routine. You can also adjust brightness, color, and even timing — allowing lights to turn on and off when you want them. Ultimately, this adds up to annual savings and energy efficiency by the end of the year.
Don’t Be a Victim to ‘Energy Vampires’
“Energy vampires” or “phantom power” is when you have electronic devices that are plugged in, and are not in use or turned off, but are sucking up energy anyway. Think of your TV in standby mode or your coffee maker that you only use in the morning, but leave plugged in in the kitchen. This standby power accounts for 5% to 10% of residential energy use and could cost the average U.S. household up to $183 per year, states the U.S. Department of Energy. However, this can easily be solved with smart power strips.
Spending a small amount per smart power strip will help prevent these “energy vampires” from stealing your electricity. They function by automatically cutting off power to your plugged-in, not-in-use devices, and many of them can be remotely controlled and work in conjunction with a timer.
Switch to a Smart Thermostat
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that, “On average, more than half of a US household’s energy consumption is from just two uses: heating and cooling.” By regulating your home’s temperature, you can save a lot on your HVAC bill, and with smart thermostats, those savings increase to 10% to 23% annually on heating and cooling costs, roughly $50 to $200 per year. Not only do smart thermostats heat and cool your home efficiently, but many of them use geo-fencing tied to your mobile phone to automatically adjust the temperature based on whether you’re at home or away.
Replace Your Traditional Fireplace with an Electric Fireplace
Another element that can save energy is electric fireplaces, especially as the majority of them use LED and LCD technology to display realistic-looking flames. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, traditional open fireplaces can lose over 90% of their heat through the chimney, while electric fireplaces convert nearly all electricity into usable heat at the point of use. In addition, electric fireplaces are environmentally friendly. Without smoke or fumes, air quality is unaffected.
This story was produced by Modern Flames and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
