How to Save Energy with Home Automation

Home automation is enticing more people every day, offering exciting new ways to run a household affordably and efficiently. If you are interested in saving energy in your Palm Beach, FL home, automated systems can offer the answer. Check out these exciting ways to let your home manage itself.

Install a Programmable Thermostat

With a programmable thermostat, you only need to think through your ideal comfort settings seasonally. The rest of the time, your thermostat will make the proper adjustments to keep your home cozy without using more energy than necessary. For the most energy savings, set your thermostat back overnight and during the day while you’re out of the house. Maintaining lower set points for at least eight hours at a time will help you to maximize your home’s energy efficiency.

Many programmable thermostats, like the Côr WiFi Thermostat, will even provide energy reports so you can take a closer look at your habits and adjust your thermostat settings accordingly to further minimize energy use. Products like this that are WiFi-enabled also give you the ability to adjust your heating and cooling settings remotely, so you can make changes as needed. This is useful for example if, you’ve forgotten to adjust your thermostat before leaving home, especially for extended periods.

Upgrade Your Outlets

Add home automation to your outlets with smart plugs that let you turn off power to a particular outlet remotely. Stop unnecessary power drains by using these outlets for major appliances like a computer. Turn off the entire outlet and your computer, printer, and other electronics will stop draining power, even while they’re off. Many smart outlets also feature power scheduling. This allows you to set handy timers for lights and other appliances. Set your bedroom lights to turn on just as you’re waking up. A useful feature for when you’re away is being able to schedule lighting throughout the home to cycle on as though you’re there, in order to deter burglars.

Get Smart About Sprinklers

Reduce both energy and water use with smart automated sprinkler systems. Upgrade from a traditional timer to a smart sensor that tracks local weather and separates your garden into separate zones. Eliminate overwatering and stay in control with indoor, outdoor, and remote controllers. Some systems can even take factors like humidity into account, providing you with a highly personalized watering schedule that’s ideal for your climate and weather conditions every day of the week.

Upgrade to Zoned Heating and Cooling

A zoned heating and cooling system will take your home automation to a new level. Paired with the appropriate thermostat, you can use a zoned system to control the temperature separately for each area of your home. This means you can eliminate heating or cooling entirely for the upstairs portion of your home, for example, during the day while the rooms are empty, without sacrificing anything downstairs. Depending on how you set up your personal zones, you may even set the master bedroom, guest bedroom, office, or other areas apart for convenience and energy efficiency.

Integrate Solar Panels into Your Electricity

Installing solar panels doesn’t mean that you have to give up on traditional electricity entirely. Integrate solar panels into your home’s power system and you can alternately use solar energy or electricity from the grid, relying on an automated system to provide you with the most efficient power source any time of the day or night.

There’s little shortage of sunlight in Florida, and a solar system can help you power everything in your home, from your HVAC system to your television with clean, natural energy. You can even feed excess energy back into the grid to help the environment further.

If you are looking for more ways to minimize energy usage in your Palm Beach home, contact Preferred Air Conditioning & Mechanical, LLC at (561) 202-1422. We can help you to find the best heating and cooling systems for your needs, balancing comfort with affordability and energy efficiency for a winning combination.

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