Smart home features that boost energy efficiency in modern homes

The total cost of wasted energy for UK households and the government will amount to £13 billion between October 2022 and October 2024. Brits waste £4.4 billion annually by leaving unnecessary lights on at home. Unbeknownst to us, our homes and appliances are wasting energy, piling up the sums on our bills. There’s energy to save at every opportunity in our homes. However, we cannot maximise energy-saving without intelligent technology. Smart features in a home can regulate our energy use to ensure we are using what we need when we need it only. 

How do smart home features save energy?

Automated regulation – smart home systems allow you to automate and optimise the control of various devices and appliances in your home. It includes adjusting thermostat settings, turning off lights and electronics when not in use, and managing energy-intensive devices like water heaters and air conditioning systems more efficiently. By automatically adjusting these settings based on factors like occupancy, time of day, or ambient conditions, smart homes can reduce energy wastage.  Energy monitoring – they often come with energy monitoring capabilities and provide real-time data on energy consumption, allowing you to track and analyse your energy usage patterns. With this information, you can identify energy-hungry devices or behaviours that contribute to high consumption. By understanding your energy usage, you can make informed decisions about reducing energy consumption and optimising efficiency. Remote control and scheduling – these systems enable remote connection to your devices and appliances. It means you can turn off lights, adjust the thermostat, or switch off electronics from anywhere using your smartphone. If you forget to turn something off before leaving home, you can do so remotely, preventing unnecessary energy usage. Additionally, scheduling features allow you to automate routines and set specific times for devices to turn on or off.  Integration with renewable energy – smart home technology can integrate with renewable energy sources like solar panels. Connecting your solar panels to smart home systems, you can monitor energy production, optimise consumption patterns to align with peak production periods and ensure excess energy is stored or fed back into the grid. This integration maximises the utilisation of renewable energy and reduces dependence on traditional energy sources.

Energy-saving smart features every home needs

Smart thermostats 

A smart thermostat can be added to control your heating remotely with an app. You can turn down or turn off the heating or build a schedule based on your habits. It also allows multi-room control. These can seamlessly integrate with your existing heating system. There’s no worry if you forget to turn off the heating before leaving home or anticipate returning home later than usual you can do it all with your smartphone or tablet.  Smart thermostats can learn your preferences, adjust temperature settings based on occupancy patterns, and even consider external factors like weather conditions to dial back the heating on warm days or keep your home comfortable on cold mornings. They can adapt heating and cooling to ensure comfort while minimizing energy consumption. Some smart thermostats also use geofencing technology to detect when you leave or approach home, adjusting the temperature accordingly. You can also control your heating while on the couch or in bed. You will thank yourself for this convenience when poorly in bed.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs)

Smart thermostatic radiator valves can also reduce your heating costs. They are an improved version of a manual radiator valve and allow you to control the temperature in each room individually. TRVs detect the warmth of a room to adjust the radiator to the temperature of your choice. Some smart TRVs work standalone, while others work with a smart thermostat. You can keep the empty spare room cool while the lounge is toasty.   If you already have a room thermostat, you don’t need TRVs. They both do the same job.

Solar panels

Solar panels generate smart home energy, reducing energy dependency on the grid during daylight hours the panels generate electricity, providing power to various devices, appliances, lighting and electronics. Solar panels can significantly reduce energy bills.  When integrated with the overall energy management system, solar energy can optimise energy usage based on solar production levels. For example, smart home systems can automatically prioritise solar energy use for high-consumption devices when solar production is at its peak.

Smart appliances

Saving energy should be a primary motive when selecting home appliances. Smart appliances have better energy efficiency. Their energy label rates them on a scale of A to G, with A being the most efficient and G being the least efficient. Modern appliances with smart capabilities are compatible with smart home devices you can control remotely. When it comes to energy-intensive appliances like hobs, washing machines, refrigerators, or dishwashers, you should choose the highest energy efficiency-rated ones.  According to a study by British Gas, UK households could save an average of £147 per year by killing off vampire power. Appliances not in use but in standby mode continue to draw power, known as phantom or “vampire” energy. Smart plugs let you switch appliances off at the wall on an app. You can monitor, in real-time, the energy use of any device you plug in and switch off completely.

Conclusion

The future is brighter for smart homes with smart features. As energy becomes more and more integral to the world and households, AI and smart technology have become the only reliable methods to conserve it. Protecting ourselves against high energy bills ensures we can afford necessities like heating and lighting in the long run. GS Brown homes come with smart features and energy-efficient fittings because we believe in building homes for a secure future. What energy-saving features are you using at home?

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