The days of manually turning back your thermostat in order to save money should be over thanks to the many smart devices that are now on the market and designed to make your home systems operate more efficiently.
Whether you live in a Chicago apartment with plenty of space for you and all your belongings, a New York City micro-apartment, or a house in the Hollywood Hills, well, it doesn’t matter — smart home innovations can make life much, much easier and more affordable for all of us in 2018.
Here are some great ways to innovate at home and create a more convenient lifestyle through the use of smart home technology, while also adding value to your apartment, condo or home at the same time. Let’s take a look!
Smart Plug
These beauties merely plug into the wall and allow you to turn an outlet on or off from your smart device. Even if, for example, you have an old non-programmable dishwasher, you can take advantage of off-peak utility rates from your phone. Just download the app and put in a time, and let your phone turn your appliance on at the most opportune moment.
Smart Ceiling Fan
No more trying to turn your TV on with the fan remote (!) if you get a fan that can be controlled with a phone app. In addition, you can turn your fan on just as you are leaving that great show at 2:00 a.m., and the really good smart fans also are also very energy efficient.
Thermostat
Obviously, we’ve come a long way from those old round thermostats that were controlled by a blob of poisonous--look it up--mercury. Next came the programmable thermostat that did save money, although sometimes we needed to call the Geek Squad to set it up. Get a smart thermostat and the possibilities seem truly endless. The good ones will even figure out when you want your space cooler, when you leave for work, when you want it warmer, or even when you come home, and then they will suggest settings so you that you merely need to confirm. That’s easy and efficient.
Smart A/C
Even if you only need a window A/C unit, you can get a smart one that can do many of the things the smart thermostat can do. These units learn from your usage so that they don’t cool unless you want them to. Of course, it comes with an app.
Blinds
This is one of our favorites, as it is such a simple idea. Install these smart blinds, put a maximum window temperature in the settings, and the blinds will close when the window heats to your preset. When the window cools, they will reopen. This can really give your A/C an assist.
Smartest Sprinkler Ever
OK, so you’re on vacation and want to make sure your plants don’t die from lack of water. You have set up an elaborate sprinkler system, but someone still has to turn it on or off. Last time you were gone you got a timer and used that, but your neighbors laughed as you watered in the rain for a week. Get a smart sprinkler controller and it will check your local weather and figure out when to turn your system on and off.
Smart Vent Controller
We often go on vent control on the really hot or cold days to shunt air only to the rooms that are being used. It’s quite a stretch to reach those ceiling vents, but with a smart vent system all you have to do is use the app to pick the vents you want open or closed.
As you can see, the supply of smart innovations has one thing in mind--saving you big dollars while making your life easier. So, if you’re a Millennial saving to purchase your first home or person recovering from a bad credit score, you’ll be on your way to big savings.
Now that’s a smart thing to do.
