Smart home tech and home automation gadgets are here and changing how we live. While smart lights and Wi-Fi thermostats look and sound futuristic — you may not know that they can cut down on costs as well. We'll share different ways smart home tech can lessen your carbon footprint and save you serious money.
Smart modules.
As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. Smart thermostats aim to learn your lifestyle and cut back majorly on energy and your electric bill.
Smart thermostats learn when you're home and where you can cut back on heating and cooling. They also may save you a considerable amount on your energy bill. Nest, one of the largest smart thermostat manufacturers, provided a tool to estimate your potential savings when switching to a smart thermostat by describing your home, location and energy usage.
Aside from learning your patterns, you can automate them to turn the temperature in your home up or down straight from your phone. Simply download your product's app for quick adjustments no matter where you are.
Smart thermostats learn when you're home and where you can cut back on heating and cooling. They also may save you a considerable amount on your energy bill. Nest, one of the largest smart thermostat manufacturers, provided a tool to estimate your potential savings when switching to a smart thermostat by describing your home, location and energy usage.
Aside from learning your patterns, you can automate them to turn the temperature in your home up or down straight from your phone. Simply download your product's app for quick adjustments no matter where you are.
Smart vents.
Smart vents are relatively new to smart home tech, but work in tandem with smart thermostats to regulate your home temperature room by room. This is especially useful if your home has inefficient heating and cooling, as the vents will work to counter any problems.
Keep an eye out for ENERGY STAR®.
New smart home products are starting to work toward ENERGY STAR certifications — a mark established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to differentiate products that meet the highest standard of excellence in energy savings. Some lights feature the ENERGY STAR mark, which means they produce up to 75% less energy and heat. Keep an eye out for upcoming smart home products with the ENERGY STAR certification.
Reimbursement.
Depending on your state and utility company, you may be eligible for rebates on smart home products. Rebates can come in the form of a bill credit through your utility provider or even a check following purchase and a mail-in application process. Certain products, like smart lights and thermostats, qualify for rebates from your utility company because they save energy in the long run. It's a win-win — you spend less money and the utility company uses less energy. Learn more about rebates in your area with our rebate finder.
Smart Home products are not only convenient, but they will save you energy and money on your utility bill –helping your wallet and the environment. To learn more about sustainability at Best Buy, visit Corporate.BestBuy.com/Sustainability.
Smart lights.
Wi-Fi light bulbs feature loads of fun options — from syncing with music to full color customization. Beyond the glitzier functions, smart light automation serves to save you money on your energy bill.
Smart light apps let you turn your lights on and off from anywhere. If you're on vacation, you can quickly check to make sure your lights are turned off. This can save you money in the simplest way possible — minimizing energy usage.
Most smart lights even allow you to set up custom lighting schedules, simply select which lights to turn on/off at certain times. Never worry about falling asleep with the light on when you've already scheduled for it to turn off.
For extra convenience you can automate your smart lights through the IFTTT app (available for Android or iPhone). Connect your product to the app for easy, GPS-enabled automation. Once you adjust the settings, you can automate your smart lights to turn off when you leave the house and turn on when you return. Then, build an "if, then" recipe to have your lights turn off automatically when you leave or turn on when you return, based on the location of your mobile phone.
Smart light apps let you turn your lights on and off from anywhere. If you're on vacation, you can quickly check to make sure your lights are turned off. This can save you money in the simplest way possible — minimizing energy usage.
Most smart lights even allow you to set up custom lighting schedules, simply select which lights to turn on/off at certain times. Never worry about falling asleep with the light on when you've already scheduled for it to turn off.
For extra convenience you can automate your smart lights through the IFTTT app (available for Android or iPhone). Connect your product to the app for easy, GPS-enabled automation. Once you adjust the settings, you can automate your smart lights to turn off when you leave the house and turn on when you return. Then, build an "if, then" recipe to have your lights turn off automatically when you leave or turn on when you return, based on the location of your mobile phone.
