Automate Your Energy Efficiency for Cost Savings
Many homeowners assume that paying utilities is just the cost of homeownership. As energy costs rise and concerns about inflation and rising interest rates are in the news cycle, those same homeowners wonder if there is a better way to manage utility costs. Intelligent Living Solutions can help. Smart technology for your home and business offers energy efficiency solutions that can help save money on energy costs.
Automate Your Energy Efficiency
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, your home’s heating, cooling, and water heating are some of the largest energy expenses in the house. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions says the average U.S. family can spend at least $2,000 a year on energy bills, which in turn means reducing your home’s energy use is the single most effective way to save money. Today’s smart technology offerings related to automating your home’s energy usage can help homeowners save 20-30% on energy bills.
Set a schedule
At the most basic level, setting a schedule using a smart home programmable thermostat helps to manage temperature controls while you are away from home. Best practices are to turn down the thermostat at night and when you’re away from home. If you lower the temperature by 7°-10°F while you’re away at work (6-8 hours), the adjustment can save you about 10% on your heating and cooling bill annually. To keep up with seasonal needs, a good rule of thumb is to set the thermostat to 78°F in the summer and 68°F in the winter.
Plan for the unknown
More advanced than a programmable thermostat, door and window sensors can alert your home’s HVAC systems that a door or window is open, and therefore, temperatures should be adjusted accordingly. If you live in the Midwest, we often have very large temperature swings in a single day so opening the windows or sliding glass doors is common. There’s always the chance that children forget to close the door or window, too! The sensors also measure which direction your home faces and how the sunlight impacts indoor climate control to make temperature adjustments as needed.
Sensors for when you step in
While it may seem like a no-brainer to program your thermostat for when you are home and away, adding presence sensors to rooms increases the savings even more. Basements, spare bedrooms, formal dining rooms, or other rarely used spaces don’t need to be heated or cooled in the same manner as other more frequented areas of the home. Presence sensors initiate when someone is present but they also will deactivate HVAC systems when someone is not in the room.
The ultimate in energy efficiency
Fully automating your home means that some of the most advanced smart home technologies can begin to predict patterns and sense when the space expects to be in use. Also, when connected to a smart home weather station an HVAC system will know the expected weather and adjust accordingly. This predictive technology begins to understand your movements and usage through a combination of your schedule, the predicted weather, room sensors, and behavior patterns. Predictive controls are the ultimate form of temperature control that will produce the best energy efficiency for cost savings on your energy bills. The automation system thinks for you making indoor temperature adjustments to keep your family comfortable.
Energy Efficiency with Smart Technology
From low-tech solutions like a programmable thermostat to automated high-tech predictive temperature controls, Intelligent Living Solutions can help you design a smart and energy efficient technology system. Whether you are building or remodeling a home or business, contact us to find out how we can help you create an energy efficient solution that can help save money.
