How Smart Is Your Energy Use?

During an especially hot summer like this one has been, your energy bills may be higher than normal as you run your air conditioning system day and night.

So look for other ways to save energy, and be smart about it by using smart technology. Sure, adding smart appliances and other tech has an upfront cost. But energy efficiency experts calculate that you could save between 5% and 30% on your energy bill if you add at least some smart solutions. Start here.

Smart plugs. A smart plug slips into your regular wall outlet and can be programmed to wirelessly turn on lights, cameras, motion sensors or alarms. You may have used these to turn the lights on and off at home while you’re on vacation. Many allow you to operate them remotely. Most help save energy because they use little energy and do not use as much “phantom” power for unused devices as those devices would use if you plugged them in without the smart plug.

Smart outlets. These replace your regular wall outlets and require some wiring. Plugging an appliance into a smart outlet gives you the power to automate it, usually remotely. That means you can schedule appliances, lights and other devices to turn on and off automatically. A smart outlet saves energy much like a smart plug does, and most models also have an energy monitoring feature that will reveal how much electricity an appliance or device uses.

Programmable thermostat. You don’t need your house to stay as cool while you’re not in it. You can set a programmable thermostat to turn the AC up right after you leave for work every day and turn it back down just before you usually get home. Manufacturers say you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by adjusting your thermostat by 7–10 degrees for eight hours a day.