Improve Your Home Sustainability with Smart Tech Upgrades

Between the rising cost of living and dwindling natural resources, it’s no wonder more people are concerned with home sustainability. Fortunately, smart technology provides innovative solutions to environmental issues that help us cut down on excessive water and energy usage and reduce our carbon footprint. Keep reading to learn how to integrate smart home technology to benefit you and the environment. 

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What is smart technology?

Smart technology refers to systems and devices that collect and analyze data and make smart decisions based on this information. Smart technology is designed to provide advanced connectivity, efficiency, personalization, safety, and security for the optimal user experience. Examples of smart technology include smart assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri, smart cars equipped with voice control and GPS navigation, and smart healthcare devices like fitness trackers, glucose meters, and blood pressure monitors. These devices make daily living more convenient by understanding and adapting to our individual needs. 

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How does smart technology impact the environment?

In recent years, many people have turned to smart technology to help address sustainability issues like excessive energy usage and water waste. Smart technology is used everywhere from office buildings to schools to hospitals, and it’s even made its way into the average home, helping people monitor their energy consumption and mitigate their environmental impact through energy usage insights and autonomous decision-making. But how much of an effect does smart technology truly have on the environment?

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Even small changes like substituting LED options for more traditional incandescent light bulbs can have a significant impact. The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) predicts that widespread use of LED light bulbs could save 348 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2027, equivalent to the amount of electricity used by 44 large electric power plants in a year. Thus, smart technology can help businesses, organizations, and individuals reduce their carbon footprint by increasing energy efficiency.

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Make Your Home Greener With Smart Tech

Smart technology is transforming every aspect of our lives, including our living spaces! If you’re looking for ways to make your home more sustainable, try out these smart technology solutions that will help you conserve energy, save money, and reduce your environmental footprint. 

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• Smart Lighting 

Smart lighting systems enable you to turn your lights on and off remotely through your smartphone, as well as program-specific lights to turn on and off at particular times throughout the day to reduce energy waste. Many smart lighting systems utilize LED bulbs, which use 75 percent less energy than incandescent alternatives. Plus, the lifespan of LEDs is approximately 50 times longer than traditional light bulbs. 

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We’re all guilty of forgetting to turn the lights off when we leave a room from time to time. By installing a motion detection system that automatically turns your lights off when you’re not using a room, you can decrease your energy expenditure by up to 75 percent.

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• Smart Thermostats

The key feature of smart thermostats is their intuition; these devices can adjust the temperature of your home based on your daily habits to increase energy savings without compromising comfort. Smart thermostats not only help you keep your home comfortable but they also provide savings on your heating and cooling bills. Additionally, they’re extremely convenient, so if you forget to turn your thermostat off before leaving for vacation, you can easily do so through your phone. 

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• Smart Irrigation Systems

On average, outdoor water usage makes up 30 percent of total household water consumption; in dryer areas, this number can be closer to 60 percent. Smart irrigation systems can help combat overwatering by adjusting to real-time weather conditions. Plus, you can save water while keeping your plants healthy by setting your irrigation systems to water plants based on need rather than on a timer. These systems are customizable to meet your home’s unique needs for the ultimate convenience, and some are even solar-powered, meaning you can conserve energy and water simultaneously. Overall, smart irrigation systems can save you thousands of gallons of water and hundreds of dollars each year.

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• Smart Energy Monitoring and Management Systems

Smart energy management systems are a useful money-saving tool. By becoming aware of your energy usage habits, these systems can help alert you to unusual power consumption patterns, which may indicate that maintenance is necessary. Furthermore, smart electrical panels from companies like Leviton and Schneider Electric make it easier to keep track of your home’s energy usage through a smartphone app. Schneider Electric’s AI-powered smart fuse box can even be combined with energy meters, thermostats, generators, and solar inverters to control energy usage throughout the home. 

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Smart energy meters are essential to assessing and adjusting how much energy various household appliances use. This information can help you make informed decisions about your energy consumption, allowing you to identify what energy-efficient appliances to invest in or where to alter your power usage patterns.

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• Smart Window Treatments 

It might not seem like window treatments have a big impact on sustainability but smart shades can help regulate your home’s temperature, reducing the work required for your heating and cooling systems. For example, automated shades can open during the daytime to heat your home with sunlight. These shades take advantage of the seasons to make temperature control more efficient by allowing sunlight to heat your home during the winter while blocking out the sun to keep your home cool during summer. Smart window treatments can also be controlled remotely, making them especially useful for hard-to-reach windows like skylights. 

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• Smart Appliances 

Smart appliances use wi-fi to connect to a smart hub or voice command system like Amazon’s Alexa, allowing you to control them remotely through an app or voice assistant. Smart ovens and voice-controlled microwaves prevent you from overcooking your food, and AI-powered washers and dryers can notify you when your load is finished so you don’t leave wet clothes sitting all day by accident. Large appliances like your refrigerator are a huge energy drain, but newer models are being made with sustainability in mind. These eco-friendly fridges preserve your food just as well as older models while reducing energy consumption.

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Advancements in sustainable smart technology are made every day, so there’s no better time to upgrade your home. Try these smart tech systems to see how big your money and energy savings can be!

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For more information on home sustainability and maintenance, check out our blog! 

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Other Resources:

15 Smart Appliances Every High-Tech Home Needs

Green Tech Makes Your Smart Home Sustainable

​​Smart Home Environmental Impact

Smart Home Tech That Enhances Home Efficiency

What is a Smart Home and How Does it Support Green Living? 

What is Smart Technology? | A Comprehensive Overview

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