Making homes smarter is among the top trends in home design and improvement. Often, the emphasis is on fostering a more functional and convenient home. An oft-overlooked advantage is how smart electrical upgrades can lower your energy costs and reduce your carbon footprint.
Smart Hub With Energy Monitoring
A smart hub serves as the central device for your smart home. Smart hubs can offer many features to improve comfort, convenience, functionality, and efficiency. One capability that many experts recommend is energy monitoring. You can get this feature on a smart thermostat, too, but it will only track your HVAC equipment. Your smart hub can track all of the smart devices that report their usage to it. That includes smart lighting, outlets, appliances, and even your electrical panel.
Smart Electrical Panel
Another option is to upgrade your home to a smart electrical panel. These panels let you monitor usage on every circuit, which you can label. That way, you can easily see what you’re spending on your living room outlets, pool, and EV charger, for instance. Smart panels integrate seamlessly with auxiliary power solutions, including solar panels, backup batteries, and standby generators. While a smart electrical panel doesn’t directly increase energy efficiency, it gives you greater control to minimize usage.
Smart LED Lighting
According to the Department of Energy (DOE), you can save substantially by transitioning from incandescent to LED bulbs. That savings will be about 15% of annual energy costs for the average home. We recommend smart LED bulbs for the additional savings they can provide. Premium LED bulbs let you adjust brightness so you’re only paying for the illumination you need. You can set these bulbs to adjust settings, turn off, and turn on via a schedule. For outdoor lighting, we can set up solar panels and battery backups that all but eliminate drawing power from the grid.
Smart Outlets
A smart plug can turn a basic outlet into a smart one. An even better option is to replace the old outlet altogether with a modern smart outlet. One advantage of smart plugs and outlets is that they give you basic smart features for standard appliances and devices. You can, for instance, have your smart outlets turn off all the lamps in a living room at a certain time of night.
Another important reason we recommend smart outlets is phantom power consumption. Many of the appliances and electronic devices in your home don’t actually turn off when you press the button. They go into a standby mode instead. While in that mode, they continue to draw power. It’s a relatively small amount, but it can really add up. The DOE estimates that the average home can save $200 each year by preventing it.
We also recommend smart outlets over plugs due to the range of features they offer. You can opt for integrated local surge protection. Many homeowners also opt for integrated USB ports. That allows for easier charging of devices and eliminates the need for dedicated chargers.
Smart Switches and Dimmers
Smart dimmers and switches can transform your normal lights into smart lights. You can control them with your voice or through an app on your phone. Many also support scheduling. They can adjust lighting and even turn them on and off via that programming.
Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats are among the most common smart devices in American homes. The DOE estimates that households can reduce heating and cooling costs by 10%. This is possible through automatic temperature scheduling when sleeping and away at work. Smart thermostats can help you save even more through geofencing and machine learning.
Some smart thermostats can monitor energy rates and go into an eco-mode during peak periods. Many utility companies also offer an opt-in program for customers with smart thermostats. If you opt in, your provider can adjust your thermostat slightly during peak periods. In return, you’ll get a credit on your bill.
Smart Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans help to reduce cooling and heating costs. They do this by making the heating and cooling throughout a home more even. In summer, they also provide the wind chill effect. Smart ceiling fans are more convenient because you can adjust speed and rotation direction with your voice or smartphone. Smart ceiling fans can also alert you to maintenance needs.
Smart Tankless Water Heater
If the time has come to replace your old tank water heater, consider an instantaneous system. Tankless water heaters provide a virtually endless supply of hot water. They also use a lot less energy because they only run when you need hot water. There’s no need to keep water heated in a tank. Smart features can help you minimize operating costs and extend the life of your equipment. This is because they can detect issues, such as scale, very early on and alert you. You can then schedule diagnostics before there’s a serious problem.
Smart Leak Detection
Leaks can result in a significant amount of damage. What’s worse is that a leak can be happening behind a wall or under a floor long before you realize it. To protect you against this, we can install a smart leak detection system. A leak detector detects leaks through changes in water flow. Smart leak detectors can notify you when there’s a leak. Some systems can even disable the water supply automatically to avoid further damage.
Smart Appliances
Our team hooks up all types of appliances for our customers. When replacing appliances, we encourage homeowners to look for the ENERGY STAR label. It indicates that a particular appliance is among the most energy-efficient in its class. ENERGY STAR-rated HVAC equipment, water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines all use a lot less electricity or fuel.
For toilets, other fixtures, dishwashers, and washers, look for the WaterSense label, too. It indicates that the product minimizes water usage. Smart features can help you save even more through capabilities like programming, throttling energy consumption, and energy usage monitoring.
Smart EV Charging Station
If you currently have an electric vehicle (EV) or hybrid or intend to upgrade soon, we recommend an EV charger. Having an EV charger will save you money because at-home charging is cheaper than charging at a station. There you’re paying for speed, but charging speed doesn’t really matter when topping off and full charging overnight.
Many smart EV chargers can help you take advantage of the best energy rates. You can, for instance, have the charger start charging while you’re sleeping and the rates are typically at their lowest.
Would You Like to Enhance Your Home With Smart Features?
High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling serves homeowners throughout the Greater Denver Metro area. Our electricians, HVAC technicians, and plumbers install and set up all manner of smart devices. You can count on our electricians for inspections, installations, and repairs. That includes electrical panels, indoor and outdoor lights, ceiling fans, whole-home surge protection, and EV charging stations. Our HVAC technicians install and service furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners, and ductless mini-splits.
Our ductwork experts install, repair, clean, seal, and insulate ducts. We install ventilation systems, air scrubbers, UV lamps, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers. Our plumbers pipe and repipe gas, water, and sewer lines. We provide drain, sewer, and septic services, including camera inspections and hydro-jetting. Our plumbers also install bathroom and kitchen fixtures, outdoor fixtures, sump pumps, and tank and tankless water heaters. If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment for electrical services, call or contact us online today.
