Smart Home Technology That Can Save You Money

When it comes to cost saving tips for the home, it’s safe to say that smart home technology is definitely at the top of the list. Smart home technology can not only help you save money, but it can help you streamline your daily household tasks, keep your home and family safe, serve as a reminder for things you have to get done.

“Today’s homes are highly connected,” says Peter Goldberg, the CEO of home retailer Bouclair. “Homeowners aren’t just searching for the best furniture and decor to keep up interior appearances; they’re also looking for functional ways to curate a home to their lifestyles and needs.”

Smart home technology is also designed to be sleek, minimal, and modern, allowing it to blend in seamlessly with your home’s design aesthetic. Even if you don’t have a modern home design, you’ll find that many smart systems are small and inconspicuous: no matter how your home is decorated, they never take up too much space or detract eyes from where you want people to focus. With that in mind, here’s smart home technology that could save you a few bucks and make your home life easier and safer:

Smart Smoke & Fire Detectors
You don’t think of smoke and fire detectors as an issue that could pose a risk. As a passive device, these systems don’t get the maintenance and care that they deserve. According to a National Fire Protection Association report, 21% of deaths that have occurred as a result of a fire could have been prevented with an updated smoke and fire alarm system.

With such grim statistics, it’s a great time to ensure your family is properly protected with a smart fire detector. Antiquated fire prevention technology simply doesn’t provide the level of security that many homes could benefit from. Smart detectors have long battery lives, a much higher level of effective detection (which can catch the scent of a fire long before it happens), automatic alerts, and much more.

Smart Plugs
Smart plugs are small, simple devices that pack a powerful punch. When smart plugs are installed, they become an intermediary between the outlet and the devices that you plug into that outlet. If you’ve ever left the house thinking you forgot to turn something off, you’ll have a much better peace of mind knowing that you can power any item on and off remotely through your mobile application.

It also allows you to run a much more efficient household. For example, if you prepped a slow cooker before you headed out to work, you could power it on from your work desk and have it ready by the time you got home. Smart plugs also provide valuable data usage statistics that show you which appliances take up the most energy, and this could allow you to identify ways you can save on your bill.

Smart Thermostat 
A smart thermostat allows you to control your home’s temperature from anywhere remotely, any day of the year. This is ideal for people who find themselves adjusting the temperature often, especially throughout the day in areas with hot days and cool nights. A user would simply pull out their phone and adjust the thermometer with a few clicks.

There are several other reasons a smart thermostat is a worthwhile investment. For starters, with a much greater sense of temperature regulation, you could save plenty of money. One smart thermostat, called the Nest Learning Thermostat, claims to save their users around $145 annually on their bill.

Customers are able to save costs because the application provides important usage information that allows you to identify when your household temperatures and costing the most, allowing you to make data-driven decisions about how you’re maintaining your home. You’d also be able to turn your heating or cooling system off while you’re away—especially when you’re gone for a long period of time, such as a vacation. Then, before you arrive, turn it back on so it’s ready for you.

Smart Mold Sensors
If left untreated, mold can quickly become a serious and costly household issue. Traditional mold kits that you can buy from the store aren’t always effective, and sometimes by the time you purchase a mold kit, it’s far too late and the mold issue has grown. The cost of removing mold from a home can be upwards in the several-thousands range if you aren’t careful. Smart sensors and vents like Ecovent can effectively gauge the air to determine when mold presents a threat.

How to be lean with your water usage at home

If you haven't read the news, water is getting expensive. Sure, this is impacting some cities more than others, but most people around the country are suffering and it's yet another monthly bill to grow concerned about.

Fortunately, a lot of us are missing far too many tricks when it comes to water consumption. There are plenty of things that you can do in the home to lower your water bills and through today's post we will take a look at some of the ways to help you do this.

Tackle that leaking faucet early

If you have a leaky faucet or two, you're not the only ones, trust us. At the same time, this doesn't mean to say that you shouldn't be looking to get the problem resolved.

Let's take a look at the numbers. If you had just one faucet, dripping once every minute, you would immediately lose 34 gallons of water per year. Let's not forget that most leaky faucets are much bigger offenders, so you will probably be losing much more!

As such, find a faucet repair service in Atlanta or your city of residence and get the problem fixed.

The same rule applies to toilets

Sure, if your toilet is leaking we're hopeful that many of you would take more immediately action! Just to put some more numbers out there though, in some cases a leaking toilet can cost you 200 gallons per day. Again, call the plumber in as a matter of urgency.

Be shrewd with your dishwasher

If you pre-wash your dishes before they hit the dishwasher you are making a principal mistake. This has come directly from the manufacturers of some dishwasher tablets, who say that their products work more efficiently if there is residue for the enzymes to attach to.

Ultimately, if you are pre-washing before each load, you are wasting a lot of water. Want hard and fast numbers? The experts believe that this could be as high as 10 gallons of water per load. Not only that, but umpteen studies have confirmed that dishwashers are more effective than washing the dishes by hand.

Your garden is a project in itself

In truth, we could have penned a whole dissertation on the wonders of saving water in your garden. There are a whole host of possibilities, but let's start with irrigation.

In short, if you are using one of the older systems here, you are wasting water and money. Nowadays, these systems are completely efficient and will even tie themselves into real weather conditions to ensure your garden is receiving the perfect amount of water. In other words, they are not left on all of the time.

Then, there is the topic of rainwater capture. This doesn't have to ruin your landscaping; even a 50-gallon drum can be hidden away and collect water from your gutters and downspouts. You can then tap into this supply to water your garden in future, and save gallons in the process.