Smart home technology has often been cited as a simply gadgets that are fun, convenient, or just technology for the sake of technology. However, the trend of people seeking out and using smart home devices in ways that could manage their energy to be more efficient and bring down utility bills is only increasing, as people are realizing that their in-home uses of the Internet of Technology enabled devices represent an undeniable way to become mindful and responsible energy customers.
That said, not every product appears to be useful in-home energy management on the surface, and those other uses of smart home technology are still ever-present. Additionally, these other uses of smart home technology that aren’t mindful of energy use might actually risk users unknowingly and accidentally increasing their total energy load. Especially when people feel good about the good energy decisions they make, they are more prone to unwittingly undermining and even cancelling out those energy benefits—a phenomenon known as Jevon’s Paradox.
Smart home products used for home security seem especially ripe for undoing all the energy gains from smart lights, smart thermostats, voice assistants, and more. Because plugging in security products might seem like they are only consumers of new energy that wasn’t being used previously and not replacing or mitigating energy use in a home, it might not be obvious how security measures through smart homes can also be used to be a smart energy consumer.
With that in mind, here are a handful of strategies you can use with your new smart home that are actually able to improve your home security while also delivering energy savings:
Using smart lights for burglar deterrent
A common strategy for protecting your home from burglary when you’re out of town for the night is to leave lights on strategically to make it appear as if you are at home. Burglars will often circulate through neighborhoods trying to find homes where families are obviously not home, and a home with all its lights off is a red flag. To combat that, many people have long left a few strategic lights on to make it appear as if someone is home. Unfortunately, though, if those same burglars see the same lights on day and night without change, they might reasonably deduce that the family is on vacation and will be emboldened to target it.
Smart lights, however, change this strategy. You can use your smart lights to regularly schedule which lights turn off and on and when while you’re away, with some smart home programs even allowing you to make this process a bit more random or varying from night to night so no one will be able to tell by the lights if you are home or not. Even better, by being able to turn the lights on and off strategically instead of leaving them on constantly, you are also saving energy using the lights as security measure, while also making the security aspect more effective.
If you’re wary about getting involved with smart lights, note that Atlantic Energy offers free smart lights to customers just for being customers. The Smart Home Bundle from Atlantic Energy offers 3-Smart Wi-Fi LED bulbs after just 90 days as customer (along with a host of other free smart home products during the first 2 years as a customer), thus enabling you to engage in this energy saving and security increasing strategy.
Utilize data collection smart security systems to maximize energy savings
Smart home cameras are among the most common smart home products designed for security. By allowing you to see what’s going on in your home when you’re out of the house or even in a different room, you are able to react, call police if necessary, and simply rest easier. But those cameras are able to do much more than simply record video; they can collect data and sense when rooms are occupied and when they are left empty.
How does this help you save energy? Well, a comprehensive smart home system can use the occupancy sensing abilities of smart home cameras to learn your typical activity patterns and use that to get a real-time snapshot of a home. This information can, for example, be fed to your smart thermostat for it to automatically learn when rooms or floors of the home tend to be used and when they’re typically empty and optimize the patterns of heating and cooling in your home so you’re not spending money and wasting energy to change the temperature in an unoccupied area of the home.
If you’re eager to start building your comprehensive smart security system with cameras, note that the Smart Home Bundle from Atlantic Energy provides 1 Wi-Fi smart camera to customers for free after 90 days as a customer and a second Wi-Fi smart camera after 6 months as a customer.
Keep an eye on energy-using devices
The smart home security systems give homeowners the ability to see inside and outside their home via their phone no matter where they are. While the main reason for this is to keep a watch on the safety of the home, a side benefit is the ability of these smart camera systems to check in on the other aspects of the home. If you’ve ever been out of town and wondered if you’ve accidentally left the lights or the TV on, you’ve likely kicked yourself over the wasted energy. But by looking into your smart home security camera portal, you’ll be able to assuage your concerns and see if everything is left off like it should have been. If it’s not, hopefully you’ve attached those products to smart apps and/or smart plugs so you can turn them off remotely!
Create whole home geofencing functions
One of the more advanced tricks you can do with your whole smart home is to integrate a geofencing feature. Geofencing is the ability of your smart home products to sense when you’re leaving or approaching the home, sensing it based on location of your phone (which is only possible when you enable this function voluntarily). Advanced smart home setups will let you arrange for your home to perform certain functions as a result. Security systems in particular, are advantageous in this way, as you can arrange that your smart locks will unlock as you approach the home and lock as you leave the home. In setting up this type of geofencing, you can also arrange for your smart home to adjust the energy-using functions of your home, namely turning off devices, lights, and the heating and cooling systems at the same time as locking your doors when you leave the home. By integrating all aspects of your smart home, security and otherwise, you are able to save energy in savvy manners.
As mentioned, getting started using smart devices to increase energy efficiency and give you security peace of mind could be easier than grabbing the free Atlantic Energy Smart Home Bundle. Just for continuing to purchase your home’s energy from Atlantic Energy, you’ll continue to get smart home products to add to your home over the course of two years.
