When climate change and the cost of living are both front of mind, this article explains how a connected home assists you in creating a greener home. Eco-friendly technology and devices work in unison to manage and save you energy and money.
So where do you start? Here is our guide to 5 simple ways you can save energy with an intelligent home.
AUTOMATE YOUR HEATING
The Energy Saving Trust estimates that turning your thermostat down by just 1-degree centigrade could save you £75 a year. That is a quick win. However, with the Loxone intelligent heating control, we can do so much more.
One of the most effortless ways of saving energy and money is to automate your heating system. Ensuring that rooms are kept at a steady temperature when required, not heated unnecessarily, and individualising room temperature by use and preference can result in up to a 60% energy saving.
A Loxone intelligent heating system ensures that your rooms are always at the desired temperature and self-learns to achieve the comfort temperature in the most energy-efficient manner. If you thought that was impressive, while you are not at home, the heating system is automatically lowered. Your home will already be at your desired comfort temperature when you arrive back. Impressive.
LEDs LEAD THE WAY
Switching to energy-efficient LED lights will instantly reduce your energy use. A recent report from the Energy Saving Trust indicated replacing all the standard lights in your home with LED lights could reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40kg per annum, equivalent to the Co2 emitted by driving your car 140 miles! Gulp. That is a lot of energy saved….and a lot of money.
According to the UK Household Energy Survey, the average number of light sources per home is 34. When you consider the average cost saving for swapping out a standard bulb for an LED…well, the numbers soon add up!
There is also the lifespan of an LED versus a standard bulb to consider. LEDs can operate for 20,000+ hours, while conventional bulbs typically struggle after 1,000 hours.
So LEDs = Less money, less energy, and fewer trips to the DIY store for replacements.
SWITCH OFF THE POWER SUCKERS
You know the ones, stand by devices! Did you know that turning devices off and not leaving them on standby could save you up to £30 per annum?!
If everyone in the UK turned off their appliances rather than keeping them on standby, households could curb the release of 1.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions…
…we know you are now itching to go and turn the TV off at the plug but hold your horses. We have a more straightforward solution than that. In a Loxone Smart Home, the Smart Socket Air turns the most ordinary of sockets into intelligently controllable sockets, automatically turning off the power-hungry devices in your home when not in use.
WHO LEFT THE WINDOW OPEN?
The Department of Energy estimates that 20-40% of your energy costs are leaking out of your home, with the most significant waste through windows left open!
In a Loxone Smart Home, our Door and Window Contacts will inform you if you have forgotten to close a window. The heating controls will automatically reduce the heating in a room if it detects that a window has been opened. Then if you close the window again, the heating will revert to the set schedule. Smart. Very smart!
MANAGING THE LOAD
The interconnected nature of a Loxone system makes it energy efficient. Your Loxone system constantly monitors your home’s energy consumption and uses this information to balance energy use during peak times. For example, if you need to charge your car, the Loxone system balances the load by switching off specific appliances to free up power.
Your heating, cooling, and shading systems will also work in unison to ensure energy efficiency. If the room temperature is too cold, blinds will automatically rise to use the sun’s warmth to heat the room. Too hot, they will automatically lower to reduce solar gains.
Integrating solar panels into your Loxone system is an easy energy efficiency win. You can collect energy to use when demand is high in the house. E.g., all the teenagers are at home! Loxone will pay attention to the total current energy output to protect you against potentially overloading.
If you have an electric car, you can use the energy stored from your solar panels to charge your vehicle. You can start, pause, and even define charging times via the Loxone App to take advantage of cheaper night tariffs.
In conclusion, an interconnected home is an energy-efficient home.
If you would like to start saving energy and money, why not book in to see an intelligent smart home in action at one of our showrooms or book a call to discuss your hopes for a more intelligent home.