When it comes to paying my utility bills, each time, I wonder where we could have gone better to save up a few pounds. When each penny counts, you’d love to find that magic trick that would reduce your energy bill.
And some technological advancements bring us closer to magic than we think. There are several smart gadgets you can use to monitor and control the energy consumption of your house more efficiently.
1. Smart thermostats
It’s amazing how far we’ve come from the old dial thermostats our grandparents used to have. Nowadays, these devices come with remote control, energy monitoring, and geofence features.
While the remote control feature is pretty straightforward (you know, open the app on your phone, set up heating schedules, turn the heating down or turn down the thermostat completely), I find geofencing downright amazing. Thanks to geo-tracking, our thermostat follows my kids (in a non-creepy way) and starts warming up the house. It’s such a pleasure to be able to come back to a warm house!
I’ve read online that saving up to 10% on your energy bills is absolutely possible by turning your thermostat by one single degree. Apart from that, after using the energy monitoring feature, we were able to see how much energy we were using and how we were using it, and we decided to turn the temperature down by 1.5 degrees. Worked for us!
Please remember to be smart about your smart thermostat – learn the user manual to get the most out of your device! Look into brands like Hive, Nest, and Tado, as they’re the best on the market right now.
2. Smart Lighting
Kids are always kids and being a parent teaches you to be patient. My children always forget to switch off the lights, and that drove me nuts! Well, used to drive as we’ve installed smart LED bulbs with motion sensors.
I decided I needed them after I read that you could save up to £128 a year with LED bulbs replacing the halogen ones. I decided to give it a try and never regretted it since. Apart from motion sensors, I found the brightness control to be an outstanding feature.
When a migraine hits, even the normal brightness feels like an interrogation room. With smart bulbs, you can dim your lights when watching a film or crank them up while reading a book.
There’s also an option of getting colour-changing bulbs. Besides savings, red, green, and blue LEDs can create a wide spectrum of colours. By combining these three colours, these bulbs produce tons of shades.
So you could get a soft red light in the room for a cosy dinner, a focus-boosting blue light for work or just seasonal decor. I’ve read on Reddit that some homeowners repurposed their bulbs to turn blue when a door bell rings or go red when the door is unlocked.
3. Solar Panels
I know what you’re thinking right now. I know the new boiler cost in the UK is way more attractive than the solar panel investment, we’re talking thousands of pounds here. But hear this: solar panels have come a long way over the past decade. They are no longer available only for the rich or religiously sustainable homeowners. Some subscription models offer solar panels for rent without you having to pay a single penny.
Companies like Sunsave get a solar panel system with a battery installed in your house. You get a fixed monthly fee, and in return, you get a tool that could fuel your home, store excess energy for later use, and provide your energy usage stats.
And you save you money, of course. With a monthly subscription fee of £69, a typical 4-bedroom home could save £420 a year on their energy bills! It’s definitely something to look into, especially if you’ve always wanted to try the solar panel option out, but the investment seemed too eye-watering!
4. Smart Plugs
It’s funny how we often overlook the small things that make a huge difference, especially when it comes to high-energy appliances. We all have them – the TV, the laptop, the microwave. These and many other devices often sneakily draw power even when they are not used. It’s called standby or vampire power – it might be the real reason why your energy bills are one long Halloween night.
For example, your laptop, when not in use, adds up to around £9 to your bill each year. While that is something you can live with, how about paying £49 each year just for the luxury of having a fridge that keeps your food cool and fresh all year round?
Smart plugs are a sort of X-ray vision for your electricity usage. You can see exactly how much energy each appliance uses in real time. You can also set schedules for your appliances with a smart plug. I mean, do you really need that printer to be ready at 3 a.m.? I know I don’t. So a smart plug can turn some devices off at night and bring them back to life when you need it.
You just control your smart plug through a phone app and set a schedule. Set up a routine for the appliance to shut down and not draw any power during peak hours while not being used! I schedule my dishwasher to run in the middle of the night when the electricity is the cheapest.
And yes, heating, cooling, and continuously running equipment add up a substantial amount to your energy bills. By using smart technology, you can see substantial drops in your utility bills. Implementing at least one of these smart tech solutions can lead to noticeable savings, giving you some peace of mind and relief.