Save Energy with Smart House Technology

Take a step into the future! With smart house technology, you can schedule, automate, and control your home’s electrical devices — thermostats, lights, home security, and more — from almost anywhere in the world.

Ginnie Leeming May 6, 2015

Take a step into the future! With smart house technology, you can control and monitor your NYC home’s electrical devices from almost anywhere in the world.

What Is Smart House Technology?

Have you ever forgotten to switch off a light and only realized it after you were already in bed? Or maybe, you left the A/C blasting while you were at work, or worse yet, on vacation.

Smart technology allows you to schedule, automate, and control lighting, thermostats, home security, and more through the use of sensors and home networks. It gives you complete command over your electrical devices, telling them how, when, and why they should work, saving you time and money.

Best of all, there are options for anyone and any budget, from affordable devices utilizing motion sensors to sophisticated and expensive home automation systems that you control through your phone, tablet, or computer.

Image Source: Flickr/Kelly Sikkema

Benefits of Smart House Technology

One of the major benefits of smart house technology is energy savings.

Imagine a hot, humid New York summer morning. You are working from home when you are suddenly called to a urgent meeting. As you run out the door, you forget to raise the thermostat, close the shades, and turn off the lights.

With smart home technology, you can adjust your thermostat while waiting for the subway. Your lights, which are connected to a motion sensor, turned off automatically when you left your apartment. You also installed a system that automatically opens and closes your shades as the sun rises and falls.

All of these tasks that once required your physical presence — turning lights on and off, adjusting the thermostat, and more — can now be controlled via sensors or on your smart phone. No more yelling at your kids to turn off the lights when they leave a room; it happens automatically!

Smart devices can also help you conserve water while showering, detect leaks, and program appliances to work when and how you need them. All of this saves energy, time, and money.

Image Source: Flickr/Andrew Magill

Getting Started

Not sure where to start? Think about how you use your home, what tools will save the most energy, and how much you want to spend.

A great place to start is with your apartment’s lights. Light occupancy sensors are affordable and easy to use. For about $10, these simple tools will turn on a lamp when you enter a room and turn it off when you leave.

Water conservation is a hot topic these days. Purchase an inexpensive Water Pebble, and it will gently remind you to take shorter showers.

Home heating and cooling is a big expense and uses a lot of energy. Consider upgrading to smart technology, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat. This device installs in minutes, learns your routines and preferences, and adjusts itself automatically, whether you are at home or away. It’s about 10% more expensive than a standard thermostat, but can save you 30% on your energy bills.

Are you planning a remodel? It’s the perfect time to install a home network. These systems are more expensive, but will allow you to have total control over everything in your home.