Now that we are officially back in the Paris Agreement, it should come as no surprise that some of the hottest stocks/investment opportunities are found in green energy. If you find yourself asking, “What is green energy, exactly?” Don’t fret, we not only have a definition of this up-and-coming energy standard for you, but many ways you, individually, can make your connected home, a green home.
Green energy, in opposition to traditional energy, comes from renewable resources. From naturally occurring supplies such as sunlight, tides, wind, rain, and more, we can ensure that our homes, cities, and communities stay powered without the potential of consuming more than what is available. Green energy is a sustainable practice, it reduces carbon emissions, and it’s even more cost-effective than using non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels. There are many ways to be energy efficient, even without the use of green energy. Below we’ve outlined some tips.
It’s like a budget, but for energy.
In order to reduce your consumption of anything, you first need to have an idea as to how much of it you’re using. This is where energy monitoring comes into play. Racepoint, a Savant company, has made strides in this area. Not only do they facilitate a hybrid of solar power and standard, on-the-grid energy distribution for your home—which we’ll touch upon later—but they have a comprehensive energy monitoring system that allows the user to see what areas of the house consumes the most, at what times of the day, and how much exactly is being consumed. A homeowner can, for example, go into their Racepoint app and notice that their home experienced a sort of energy-suck around 3 pm. The intuitive chart tells them the energy-suck came mostly from the kitchen and, if they were to dive in deeper, they might learn that the culprits were both the oven and dishwasher, giving them a better idea as to how to manage their consumption.
Everybody loves the sunshine.
The great thing about solar power is that you’re not dependent on the grid for your power supply. Solar panels gather up energy from the sun during prime sunshine hours and then store it in batteries for later use. The excess energy gets distributed back into the grid, the generator ensures the batteries remain charged, and you don’t have to rely on anything but the sun to power your home. It doesn’t hurt that solar panels are incredibly futuristic, sleek, and break away entirely from the growing price of energy (and offer tax incentives), allowing you and your home to be both independent and sustainable.
Having a hard time managing your energy? Schedule it.
If you’re one of those people who feels safer going to bed with the lights on around the house (or are one of those people who simply forgets to shut things off), then energy scheduling might be the solution for you. Savant, a smart home systems company, has an incredible feature called “Scenes”, that can be used in a variety of ways depending on the product. For energy, you can automate your day by setting your AC to work only during certain hours of the day, or ensuring that all of your lights are off by midnight. Through scheduling, the responsibility is not in your hands, but rather in those of your trusted system.
You light up every room.
Sensors are not only easy energy solutions, but they ensure a grand entrance. Motion-activated sensors are everywhere—offices, restaurants, even theaters—usually in the bathroom, but often in other areas as well. Incorporate sensors into your lighting systems and don’t worry about leaving the lights on; they only activate when someone walks into a specific room. This practice reduces energy consumption quite a bit when you think about all the hours your living room light may be on without anyone to occupy the space—you can always, of course, switch it so that it remains on for a prolonged period of time even without movement (for when you’re laying on the couch with a classic novel and a glass of vino). With sensors, you light up every room and save energy.
Say it loud with voice control.
Maybe scheduling, monitoring, and automating your appliances to function at specific times of the day might not work for you or your routine. In that case, we have voice control solutions. If your home is fully integrated, it isn’t difficult to incorporate a smart assistant such as Apple HomeKit or Google Home into your smart dwelling. With this solution, you can simply say “Google, turn off all of the downstairs lights,” and it’s done in an instant. No scheduling or setting specific scenes–just voice it.
Now that you know some solutions for a greener and more efficient smart home, it’s time to figure out which one works best for you and your home’s routine.
Responsive Living, the term coined by Acoustic Architects founders, Aaron Flint and Spencer Hauldren, is the concept of seamlessly enhancing the client’s unique lifestyle using smart home technology. Responsive Living allows you to interact with your space via touch input, voice command, and predictive automation, placing you in full control of your home.
If you would like to learn more about integrating smart solutions into your smart home system, feel free to connect with us. We will be happy to schedule a demo with you.
For more information, visit acousticarchitects.net.
Like what you read? Spread the word and share on LinkedIn.