We’re all familiar with smart phones and smart devices, but how about smart homes? With the development of this kind of technology, people can not only keep track of their energy usage throughout their home but also control their electronic devices via the use of wireless sensors. Oh, the possibilities!
So, what will this actually mean for the average home owner? Smart energy discussions are currently taking place within the Government with an aim to helping people to save money on constantly soaring energy bills. Have you heard the recent hikes in prices from British Gas?!
The initial steps are to install smart meters into people’s homes, ensuring that they have more idea about their overall energy consumption and also provide more accurate readings of their actual energy usage so people will only be paying for what they have used, not paying based on an estimate from the energy provider.
Whilst saving money is always a positive, there are other advantages too; simply having a greater understanding of how energy is being used within the home could make people more conscientious about switching unused appliances off and replacing ones which are consuming more energy than they ought to be. How many of us leave the TV on? Switching off at the plug could save the average homeowner £60 a year.
But that is merely the first step in an area which is wide open to technological advancements. Talk of being able to use wireless technology to control all electrical appliances might seem like something from the future but it could be arriving on the UK market sooner than we might think. By staying connected with your mobile, you could switch off a light that you accidentally left on at home using a specially designed app.
Not only would this prevent you from spending money on electricity unnecessarily but it also gives you much greater control over just how you are using your appliances and electrical items.
Beyond this, there is technology currently in development which will allow users to adjust their heating via the use of various smart phone energy apps.
You would need to invest in a control panel which would be attached to a boiler and several wireless sensors, which would be placed around the home. Use of this app would allow you to increase or decrease the heating in the various locations of your house. Exactly like a thermostat, except this one is mobile!
When you choose your phone or broadband contract, make sure your data allowance caters for usage of these energy apps, as they can sometimes consume a lot of data, especially when on the go. Providers such as mobi-data.co.uk can help to even stay connected on your tablet so that you can keep an eye on your energy usage from anywhere.
Overall, experts are claiming that a 40% saving could be made on the cost of heating and hot water which makes up a whopping 80% of the average household’s energy bills.
This is a significant saving however you look at it – and over time the amount of money saved should far outweigh any of the installation, app or data expenses. And let’s face it, we could all do with the extra cash in our back pockets.
