Let’s dive into the fascinating world of smart home devices – where smartphones rule not just communications, but how we interact with the appliances in our homes. Our focus today? Smart plugs!
You’ve probably heard of them, these clever little padawan learners of energy mastery that promise to amp up your household’s tech-savvy level.
But what does ‘smart’ really mean? Do smart plugs save energy? Can smart plugs save you money?
Grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and allow us to unravel this smart mystery for you.
What Are Smart Plugs?
Smart plugs are compact devices that fit into conventional electrical outlets.
They have their own outlet and are essentially ‘middle-men’ allowing you to control the power to the device plugged into it.
Through a smartphone app or even voice commands via a smart home assistant, you can switch off, switch on, or schedule a connected device to power on or off!
How Do Smart Plugs Work?
Smart plugs integrate with your home’s Wi-Fi network, enabling you to control them remotely.
This provides you not just with utmost convenience (imagine not getting out of your warm bed to turn off the heater!), but also with the ability to manage your energy usage effectively.
For instance, you can schedule your coffee maker or your TV to turn on only at certain hours of the day, ensuring they’re not gobbling up electricity in standby mode during the rest.
The Energy-Saving Potential of Smart Plugs
One of the biggest advantages of smart plugs is their potential to save energy.
A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that idle load electricity (power consumed by appliances when turned off) accounts for 23% of power consumption in residential homes.
By switching off entirely, smart plugs can eliminate this “idle” usage, leading to significant energy savings over time.
Can Smart Plugs Save You Money?
When aligned with energy saving, the next evident question is about cost savings. The answer isn’t as black and white. While it’s true that less energy consumption should result in lower electric bills, you also need to consider the initial investment in the smart plugs, which can range from $15 to $60 per unit.
Composing a simple scenario, if an idle TV consumes $0.01 worth of electricity per hour, and you use a smart plug to cut off 10 hours of idle time daily, then you could save roughly $36.50 per year. This is a great way to effectively combat Vampire devices and bring your bills under control.
Matching with this with the average price of a smart plug, you would be able to recover the investment within a half year to three years.
After this “break-even” point, your continued saving is the money you’ve saved.
Additional Advantages of Smart Plugs
Along with potential energy and cost savings, smart plugs can provide other benefits like adding convenience to your life, offering peace of mind (say goodbye to the “Did I leave the iron on?” panic), and allowing for integration with other smart devices, for a full-fledged smart home experience.
How To Choose The Right Smart Plug
Prioritise your needs. If saving energy and cutting down bills is your primary aim, look for smart plugs with usage monitoring features.
These plugs not only allow you to control power but also offer valuable insights into energy usage patterns for different devices.
Conclusion
Smart plugs have the potential to save energy, which in return, can save you money.
However, the real impact on your wallet is highly dependent on your usage, habits, and the price of the plug itself.
What is undeniable, though, is that smart plugs offer a great step towards creating an energy-efficient and smart home.