For many years, technology has been continually evolving, changing the way we communicate with coworkers, friends and family across the world. The newest gadgets and technologies have begun to focus not only on the way we interact with each other, but also on how we interact with our homes. Unique smart home devices are not only making our day-to-day lives a little easier, but more importantly, they also have the potential to make our homes more energy-efficient than ever! Here are few of the most notable advances in smart home devices, shared by your favorite roofing company, Muth and Company Roofing.
Smart Thermostats
The newest innovation in smart thermostats, and the first thermostat to get ENERGY STAR®-certified, is the Nest Learning Thermostat. After a week or so of noting which temperature you prefer at any given time of day, the Nest Learning Thermostat will automatically create a program crafted around your daily routines. Sensors and phone connectivity allow the Nest to sense when you’re not at home, turning down the thermostat when you leave to save energy. It even allows you to keep track of your energy use with a daily Energy History and a monthly Home Report. Independent studies have shown that the Nest Learning Thermostat saves homeowners an average of 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling.
Smart Lights
Another advancement that’s improving energy efficiency and greatly increasing convenience for consumers is smart lighting, which is simply lighting that can be controlled using an app on your smartphone. This app enables you to change the brightness of your smart bulbs, saving energy by dimming bulbs when full brightness is not needed. You can also turn lights on and off, even when you’re away from home, with a quick touch of your phone screen. Another way to control lights is through the use of virtual assistants such as Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant. With a simple voice command to one of these handy assistants, you can turn off the lights at night without even getting out of bed! Some smart switches will even turn off your lights automatically after they’ve been on for a certain amount of time.
Smart Plugs
Another handy gadget useful in any smart home is a smart plug. This device plugs into a normal power outlet, becoming an extension of your wall outlet. Instead of plugging things like lamps and appliances into the outlet, you plug them into the smart plug. The benefit of the smart plug is that it allows you to remotely control anything that is plugged into it, through the use of your home’s smart hub or the applicable mobile app. You can also set a timer so that the smart plugs turn on or off at a predetermined time. This means that you’re able to wake to fresh coffee, turn off the kids’ TV when it’s bedtime, or program all your home’s appliances to power down when you do.
At Muth and Company Roofing, we understand the importance of energy savings to our customers. One of the best ways to save energy when it comes to your home is by having adequate attic insulation. As one of our roofing services, we provide thorough attic energy inspections at an affordable price to all of our customers. If you want to save money on your energy bills and think that your attic’s insulation may not be cutting it, give us a call at (614) 682-3060 to schedule an attic energy inspection today.