Can I save money with a sustainable smart home?

Smart home applications are becoming increasingly popular among Germans : 3 million people in Germany were already using smart household appliances in 2020 alone . 6.1 million households in Germany already use at least one smart home device . So what incentives are there for people in Germany to choose a smart home? Smart home retailers advertise that their products save energy and help conserve resources. This is also shown by a survey by Splendid Research, in which 42 percent of the approximately 1,500 respondents said that they want to use smart home technologies to save on heating and electricity costs. Another important argument for purchasing smart gadgets is environmental protection. Around a third of all CO2 emissions are generated in private households. With needs-based automation technology in a smart home, energy consumption can be reduced by up to 70% . 

Aside from the fact that we've all forgotten to turn off the lights and heating before going out, saving money is especially important given the current price hike caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Fuel, electricity, and heating costs will skyrocket this winter. Fortunately, smart homes offer the opportunity to live sustainably and save energy thanks to automation. 

In this blog post, you will learn about the possibilities the smart home offers to save even more. 

Goals of Smart Home: Security, comfort and energy saving 

The official Smart Home definition of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is “Smart Home is a generic term for technical processes and systems in living spaces and houses that focus on improving the quality of living, security, and efficient energy use based on networked and remotely controllable devices and installations, as well as automated processes.” 

The classic classification of smart home categories is: 

• lighting 
• Air conditioning 
• Household and garden 
• Security 
• entertainment 
• Health and Fitness 

Some typical benefits of using smart home devices include: 

• Facilitating daily household chores 
• Save heating and electricity costs 
• Easy-to-use home security system 
• Convenience by controlling all your smart devices with one app 

To learn more, you can find an overview of smart home costs and a complete smart home whitepaper in our blog section. 

 

How can sustainability be integrated into the smart home concept? 

Saving energy and water not only reduces the burden on your household budget, but also on the environment. Smart apps and devices make it possible to adapt household appliances to your own consumption habits. These systems learn from your habits and can thus reduce consumption and costs in the long term. 

Here are five starting points for going green with your smart home. 

1. Everyone wants to heat efficiently

One of the most important elements for making a home truly sustainable is the heating system. According to the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the largest share of energy costs (around 75%) is spent on generating space heat. Heating costs can be saved by using a smart thermostat; research suggests that this can be reduced by up to a quarter. 

A smart thermostat can turn itself on and off automatically and be controlled remotely at the touch of a finger. Instead of letting the heating run unchecked, the thermostat knows when the house is empty and how long the energy-saving heating process will take. 

This not only protects the environment but also your wallet. It's also nice to come home from a long trip to find your house already preheated. If you have other smart home gadgets, you can even adjust the heating temperature from the comfort of your couch using voice control. 

Chuango will also be offering smart thermostats starting this fall. Save energy with connected smart home devices and avoid being snarled by expensive electricity bills! 

2. Activated sockets can be real energy guzzlers 

 We often have the habit of putting devices into standby mode or turning them off completely, but not the power strip or socket. Unfortunately, standby devices and activated sockets can be real energy guzzlers. There's a smart solution to effectively prevent this: 

Smart plugs, also known as adapters, can be plugged between a conventional outlet and a smart device. They trigger specific actions when your devices' power consumption changes. The integrated energy meter continuously measures the power consumption of the connected devices, and the smart plug switches unused devices on and off accordingly. This actually saves a lot of electricity. 

It's worth mentioning that the smart plug also reduces the risk of fires caused by faulty appliances by disconnecting them from the power supply in a timely manner. Like other smart household appliances, you can control the smart plug in a variety of ways: by tapping your app or using a voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant. Saving energy has never been easier! 

Starting this fall, you'll also find high-quality smart plugs at chuango.de, so keep an eye on us! 

3. Save energy with an automated and demand-based lighting system 

Smart lighting control is also an essential element of sustainable living. Smart light bulbs offer a quick entry into the intelligent home, without much installation effort. You can access all functions in the app, whether it's color, dimming, or switching on and off. With just a few clicks, you can create the perfect lighting ambiance for dinner or an atmospheric cinema atmosphere for a movie night—the lighting design possibilities are endless. 

So how can we enjoy the convenience that smart lights offer while also using them to save energy? Using the "Schedules" feature in the smart app, you can automate your lighting. For example, the light bulbs in the living room turn off automatically when you go to sleep, or all the lights turn off automatically when you leave the house. If you forget to set the schedule, it's no problem, because you can remotely check whether all the lights in your home are off using the smart app. 

It's even better if you also have a smart motion sensor in your home. You can combine a smart light bulb with the motion sensors so that the light only comes on when someone is in the room or garden. This smart combination not only gives you a nightlight that no longer needs to be turned on and off when you go to the bathroom at night, but also deters burglars who are wandering around outside your house at night. 

Furthermore, the importance of lighting in your own home for your quality of life should not be underestimated. Smart lighting not only helps you differentiate between home office and leisure time, but also helps you find your way around and relax more quickly when moving into a new apartment. 

 

4. Use water sparingly 

There are many different ways to save water in a smart home. Examples include smart dishwashers and smart washing machines. A smart washing machine or dishwasher can calculate optimal water and detergent consumption for environmentally friendly use. 

Another approach is a smart water detector. A water detector reliably reports liquids in rooms and closets. As soon as a special sensor detects water or liquids, it sounds an alarm. This allows you to react promptly to prevent water from leaking from the tap and even major disasters in the event of an emergency. 

5. Automatic shading through blinds 

Smart blinds and shutters are often equipped with sun sensors and timers, and open according to the time or position of the sun. When you wake up in the morning, the blinds slowly open and the sun greets and embraces you. What a treat! But smart blinds and shutters not only bring us comfort, they also save energy. When it's bright outside, the blinds open automatically to let the light into the room and remind you to turn off the lights. Or, when it's hot and sunny outside, the blinds close automatically. This way, the interior of the house stays cool, and you don't have to buy expensive cooling devices or use additional energy. This convenient way can help you reduce your electricity bill. 

We are also planning to offer smart blinds and shutters, which you can combine with other smart devices from Chuango to create an energy-efficient and automated home. 

 

Conclusion: 

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important, and more and more households are placing value on a more economical lifestyle. The rise of smart homes not only brings comfort and convenience to users, but also sustainable benefits for the environment. Smart devices identify potential savings and plan sustainably. Ideally, you have a variety of interconnected smart devices in your home that you can control via a single smart app to create various automation applications. Chuango smart Home can offer you such a smart automation solution at an affordable price! If you're also considering saving energy in a smart way, please visit our website or ask our support team for advice! 

Save with your sustainable, smart helpers!