Did you know that turning off the lights whenever you leave a room can shrink your energy bill and reduce your carbon footprint? While small changes like that are easy in theory, building habits can take time. Creating Applets is a quick and easy way to automate eco-friendly habits and make saving energy effortless.
There are so many ways to save energy that can be done automatically and routines that can be created using smart devices. We have created suggestions organized by different devices and services that can be implemented to make it possible to save energy and save money. Replacing older devices and appliances with more efficient ones can be a great way to begin your journey into going green. Of course, there is an impact in purchasing new items so be sure to be conscious of the ways you are recycling or disposing of appliances that no longer work.
In addition to smart devices, services that monitor power consumption and detect leaks are both great ways to use technology in proactive ways. You will be able to decide when to use major appliances or larger devices based on peak power saving hours and you can easily avoid excess water usage due to a leak.
Get in control of your heating and cooling
Do you ever find yourself mid-errands wondering if you left the thermometer turned up too high? Or maybe you like to wake up to a toasty house, but don't want the heat running all night long. By connecting your smart thermostat, you can automatically raise and lower the temperature in your home based on things like the weather, who's home, what time of day it is, and more. Explore some of the popular heating and cooling Applets from services like ecobee, Heatmiser, Hive Active Thermostat, Honeywell, Somfy, and more.
These Applets can help you gain control of your home’s temperature on the go, and can even integrate your device’s location to change the settings of your house when you leave.
- Turn off your A/C when leaving home
- Give "cold" feedback to Ambi Climate via button
- Receive a notification when your home temperature drops
- Low Outside Temp Heating Boost
- When you enter a specific area set your Heatmiser Thermostat to __°
- Boost heating for 1 hour at 22°C in one tap
- Change temperature at this time
- Set a thermostat when you leave home or work
Smart plugs and lights
Want to go a step further? By connecting devices to smart plugs, upgrading to smart lights, and using connected switches, you can further reduce your energy waste by ensuring that your appliances and electronics are only on when you need them.
Have a power-off button on your phone or tell your Google Assistant it’s time to shut every thing down for the evening. These Applets are here to help you reduce wasted power to the devices that aren’t in use.
- Turn off WeMo Smart Plug at a specific time each day.
- Turn on 1-channel switch/plug at sunset
- Smartthings To Smart Life Lights/Outlets (Turn On)
- Turn your plug off when you leave home
- When I exit an area, turn off all lights
- Every night at 12:00 AM turn the lights off
- Turn off the lights when you leave home
Energy monitoring
For expert level energy conservation, connect your provider to your smart home apps and devices to ensure you're reducing energy consumption and limiting your use to off-peak times. Services like Green Light Signal and Nemy can help you learn the best times to use your appliances and energy.
- Notify me when electricity is cheap
- Green Light Signal
- Change Philips Hue colours based on electricity prices
- Change the colour of my LIFX light to reflect the mix of renewable generation in the grid
- Solar production below 100W
- IFTTT: Receive push notification when ComEd Peak Time Savings (PTS) Hours are announced
- Turn off Honeywell Total Connect thermostat when #OhmHour starts
- Log Device Turning On to a Google Spreadsheet
- Connect your ecobee to SmartHours
- PLUNGE PRICING ALERT: Octopus Agile electricity just went below zero pence per kWh
Save water, detect leaks
Managing your water consumption is another important way you can reduce your overall carbon footprint. Using leak detection tools, you can immediately know when something isn't working the way it should.
These devices and services can notify you immediately when there is a leak that you should investigate. You can save water and even save your home using these tools.