article

Ideas for Saving Energy with Your Smart Home

By Realty Times Staff via Realty Times

bluehammer

You may feel safe inside on a hot, smoggy day, but hidden dangers could be damaging your health right in your own home. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4.3 million people a year die from exposure to household air pollution. Poorly ventilated dwellings, smoking around the home and fine particles can all negatively impact your health.

Although you can try to improve your home’s health by regularly changing filters and opening the windows to let in some fresh air, you need some smart home technology to help save energy. That will ultimately help you go green by cutting down on your energy consumption. As an added benefit, saving energy can also trim your energy bills and save some money in the process. Get started with these five smart home ideas for saving energy.

Control Your Smart Home Automation

Before you start your smart home journey, look at how you can control the automation process from the start. For example, smart appliances can help reduce your energy consumption, but you need a way to control everything from turning your lights on and off to adjusting your thermostat.

Automation can be controlled right from your smartphone or tablet. It's also best to get a smartphone that works in tandem with a reliable network for controlling your home remotely while you're on the go. For example, a phone like a Samsung Galaxy Note8 or iPhone 7 Plus can leverage apps like Wiser EMS or Nest Mobile. Just about every smart home product on the market comes with an app to manage from your smartphone or tablet so you can improve your energy efficiency whether you're at work or on vacation.

Use Smart Climate Control

You can go beyond controlling the temperature of your home and actually control its entire indoor climate. The Nest thermostat doesn't need to be programmed, and instead learns your habits and adapts the climate of your home to your life. The Nest can automatically adjust itself based on your lifestyle, the time you come and go on a regular basis, and when the season changes. You can even control the individual temperatures of specific rooms so your energy efficiency remains high.

After using Nest for a week, it can program itself and significantly reduce your energy consumption so you’re saving more on your electric bill. You'll also get an alert from Nest to your smartphone app if something is wrong like the temperature is dropping low enough to make your pipes burst or the furnace is acting up.

Switch to Purifying Floors

You may already know that your home contains pollutants based on poor air quality and ventilation. But the materials your home was built with, or even its furnishings, can continuously emit toxic contaminants including formaldehyde.

Pure Genius flooring is made without solvents, volatile organic compounds or formaldehyde. It also uses light-activated and air-purifying agents made of titanium dioxide in its Titanium floor finish line. You can ultimately help purify your air, and reduce the energy needed to run fans and ventilating systems to freshen up your home. Another option for floors with an eye on energy efficiency is radiant floors with embedded tubing inside concrete to improve more efficient heating and cooling.

Update Your Appliances

You may have heard of energy-efficient appliances already, but may not have heard about smart home appliances that can save both energy and time. Smart appliances allow you to remotely program your washer or dryer to operate in the middle of the night to reduce the strain on the electrical grid. Meanwhile, an energy-efficient smart fridge like LG’s smart fridge can tell you that you're out of milk and save you energy at the same time.

Want to estimate your home improvement costs before talking with a contractor? Claim your home for free with bluehammer to estimate costs, secure your home inventory and learn more about your home.

* THIS REPORT IS AN OPINION THAT MAY BE INACCURATE AND IS PROVIDED SOLELY AS AN INFORMATIONAL TOOL NOT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE ANSWERS. ALL ELEMENTS ARE OFFERED "AS IS" AND BLUEBOOK EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS, AND GUARANTEES OF ANY NATURE, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABLITILY, NONINFRINGEMENT, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, ACCURACY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL BLUEBOOK (OR THEIR SUPPLIERS) BE LIABLE FOR ANY GENERAL, DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE RESULTING FROM USE OF THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING : (1) RELIANCE ON THE MATERIALS PRESENTED, (2) COSTS OF REPLACEMENT GOODS, (3) LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, (4) DELAYS OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTIONS, (5) AND ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF INFORMATION) WHETHER OR NOT BLUEBOOK HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Know what you should pay for your home improvement projects with bluehammer.Claim your home. It's free!

Popular


Getting your home ready for that big party

Preparing for a party can be a hectic time - you have a full slate on your to do list, including choosing the menu, preparing food, planning activities, and coordinating decor. It can be easy to overlook one of the most important elements of planning an event, making sure your home is presentable for your guests. Our guide will help you to quickly get your house party-ready so you can focus on all the other things involved in preparing for your event.

How To Safely Remove Window Glass

Why would you need to remove glass from your window? In most cases, it's because the glass is cracked or broken, or it is an insulated pane that's no longer sealed properly. Or maybe it's time to upgrade your windows with tinted or smart glass. Professional glass shops can help you choose and size the right glass for the job, but first you'll have to remove the window glass and bring in the sash. If there is a break on a stationary window or the sash and it isn't budging, you may need to hire a professional glass installation expert.

Getting the Best Estimated Home Improvement Costs Using Bluehammer's Home Improvement Calculator

The following are tips and tricks to help you better estimate the cost of your home improvement project.

Inspired Ways To Create A Guest Space When You Don't Have A Guest Room

Not all of us are blessed with enough bedrooms to accommodate every member of the family plus a home office and a man cave and a theater room and a guest space. And, it's that last one that often ends up as a challenge when friends and family come to visit and you either have to break out the blow-up bed or give up your room and hunker down with the kids. You don't need to add on or buy a new home to provide a comfortable space for guests. These smart solutions will help you create a great space for guests with minimal effort.

8 Laundry Rooms That'll Make You Want To Fluff And Fold

Let's face it. Laundry is no fun. In fact, it's often counted among our most hated chores. But since running around in stinky, soiled clothes is not an option for most of us, it's gotta get done.

Early Planning For Retirement And Inheritance

Question: We are nearing retirement, and are becoming concerned about our future, and the future of our children.

How to Let Go of Unwanted Things You've Inherited

Whether you've inherited a large collection of items or a single bulky piece of furniture, it's OK to let it go if you don't need or want it.

Nontraditional Places to Use Pendant Lights

When you picture pendant lights, where do you see them in a house? Close your eyes and imagine it.

Installing a Ceiling Fan

Ceiling fans add to the decor of a room and are an energy efficient way to improve cooling when it's hot and heating when it's cold. For simple installations, installing your own ceiling fan is a breeze.

5 Tips to Clean and Prepare Your Air Conditioner for Summer

Making it through the summer without a working air conditioning system isn't feasible in some parts of the country. Even if you live in a temperate climate, your AC system will make you and your family much more comfortable at home.

See More Articles