Emporia
Emporia Vue 3 Home Energy Monitor
Emporia Vue 3 Energy Management Hub & Monitor automates, controls, and manages connected Emporia devices such as smart plugs, EV chargers, home battery syste...
$100
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5 Smart Home Products that Save You Money
Smart Tech is hot right now. What began with ‘smartphones’ has now led to the ‘smart home’. In a smart home, you can find smart appliances such as lights, thermostats, home entertainment systems, and many more.
But what does ‘smart’ mean? The answer might be different depending on the device, but usually, it means they are wirelessly connected so you can remotely control or program them with an app on your mobile device or computer.
Considering smart appliances and wondering what to look for to save energy and money? Explore smart lighting, thermostats, and more here.
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By Dane George, Energy Efficiency Expert
Apr 13, 2025 · 4 min read
Smart Thermostats
Smart thermostats are a step up from the standard programmable thermostats that adjust heating and cooling temperatures based on a schedule that you program. With smart thermostats, you can more easily and remotely adjust the schedules. Some apps can track your smart phone’s location and adjust temperatures based on where you are in your house or whether you are at home or away. This function can also be used to engage home heating or cooling on your way home, so it will be at the temperature you like when you arrive.
Another cool feature of smart thermostats is that some of them will attempt to learn your regular patterns, and adjust the temperatures accordingly, so you don’t have to.
These types of functionality are becoming more appropriate in today’s world where daily schedules are variable. If you are in and out of your house several times a day, smart thermostats can adjust the temperature of your home in real-time, making sure that you are always comfortable, but also saving energy by only heating or cooling when necessary.
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Smart Appliances
Many household appliances are also becoming smart. Some examples are driverless vacuum cleaners that can travel around cleaning your house on their own without falling downstairs, or ovens that will send an alert to your phone when your baking is ready. Have you ever wondered whether you turned off the stove when you left the house? With a smart stove, you can check it after you’ve left, and turn it off remotely with your phone from wherever you are.
These features can enhance convenience and safety, and some of them can help conserve energy or at least use it in a better way. For example, smart dishwashers and clothes dryers can be programmed to delay cycles during energy ‘rush hours’ when everyone else is using energy (e.g. supper time). Depending on the electricity pricing structure where you live, you can save money if your electricity rates are cheaper at a different hour. This can also help lower your footprint by reducing the use of inefficient and polluting ‘peaker’ fossil fuel power plants to generate electricity during peak hours.
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Article by
Dane George
Dane George holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Masters of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from Dalhousie University. He has three years of experience working with residential contractors with a focus on energy efficient renovations, and has worked with the Clean Foundation as a Certified Energy Advisor conducting energy audits of homes. Most recently, his graduate research involved analyzing electricity consumption patterns. Dane has also prepared and delivered workshops on home energy sustainability, and is currently teaching Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.
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