3 Cutting-Edge Technologies To Save Energy at Home

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Innovative approaches to traditional technologies are helping homeowners realize energy savings. Let’s look at three promising products on the market today that keep power bills lower.

Refrigerators are essential for any modern home, and they typically use a good deal of energy to properly cool food. Reducing the amount of energy your fridge uses lowers your home energy consumption. One emerging technology that can save energy is magnetic refrigeration.

Most fridges use a traditional compressor to cool perishables, but magnetic refrigeration uses a magnetic field to cool food. This is possible through the magnetocaloric effect, which causes certain materials to cool down when a magnetic field is removed, creating a more efficient refrigerator that uses about 30% less energy than traditional fridges. Researchers and universities are working to improve this technology and bring more magnetic refrigerators into homes.

Choosing the right roofing material can make a huge impact on how much heat your home absorbs. Certain types of roofing reflect more sunlight than others, which can help to keep your home cooler—reducing your need for air conditioning. These “cool roofs” are designed to absorb less heat and reflect more sunrays than traditional roofs.

Cool roofs are lighter in color and use reflective paint, highly reflective tiles or a reflective sheet covering to achieve their effect. There are several types of cool roofs commercially available, and choosing the right type depends on your roof. Although cool roofs can block heat from entering your home, the overall heat savings you can achieve from roofing depends on your insulation, climate and other factors.

A heat pump clothes dryer can help reduce energy use by at least 28% compared to standard dryers. Instead of releasing warm and humid air through a vent outside the home, heat pump dryers work by sending humid air through an evaporator that removes moisture without losing too much heat.

These appliances don’t require outside ventilation like standard dryers, which is a major efficiency benefit. And because these dryers use lower temperatures, they’re gentler on clothes. Commercial brands like Whirlpool and Samsung sell Energy Star-certified heat pump dryers, and they typically cost $900–$1,500 depending on features.