The last Saturday of March marks an important day for environmentalists the world over, as millions of homes across more than 180 countries switch off their lights as part of Earth Hour. The climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today, and Earth Hour helps to bring attention to what we all can do to help reduce our impact on the environment.
When it comes to changing your own habits and making your home eco-friendly, smart devices and connected technologies can be incredibly useful and have a great impact on your home’s output. By giving you greater control over your devices and energy usage, smart devices can give you much more confidence in doing your bit to help the planet.
Need some ideas on where to start? Check out the list below, and let us know how you use your smart devices to help reduce your carbon footprint.
- One of the most useful things you can do with smart devices is to set up timers and routines. Making good use of routines means that you’ll only be using power when you need to; lowering your energy bill and your carbon footprint in one fell swoop. So, if everyone in your home is normally in bed by midnight, add in a failsafe routine to make sure all your lights and floor lamps are switched off - but let’s make that 2am for weekends.
- Try out geofencing, so your heating comes on when you’re 15 minutes away from home. Not only does this mean you’re always coming home to a cosy house, but it also means that you’re not wasting power because you got stuck in traffic.
- As simple as it is, being aware of how much power you’re using will have an effect on your usage. Once you can see your output, you might find yourself being more sparing with your energy naturally.
- Smart sockets can identify the energy signature of your major appliances, and notify you if any device starts to pull too much power - your fridge or dryer might need a service.
- Give yourself greater control over your appliances by using connected apps to ensure you can turn them off remotely if you forget, or by only heating up the rooms that you're in.
- A dusk timer could set your lights at 70% maximum brightness once the sun goes down, setting the right evening mood, and every little bit helps.
- There is a universal law that says all children must leave the bathroom light on, so set a timer to turn it off after 30 minutes, or better yet, you can have a motion sensor see when people have left the room to trigger them off.
