Tag Archive for: Smart lighting

4 Ways Investing in Smart Home Technology Saves You Money

We all know that smart home technologies are widely available, affordable and effective, but can they also save you money?  Yes, and in ways you may not have guessed. Here are 4 reasons to opt into smart home and automation technologies.

Smart Thermostats

Investing in a smart thermostat is a smart, cost-saving decision for a number of reasons. Heating and cooling account for nearly half of a home’s energy costs, so getting that under control can provide substantial savings. Smart thermostats can do this by learning your usage and preferences and adjust accordingly so you are never heating and cooling unnecessarily. You can also use it to turn on your heating or cooling from afar, so you can adjust the temperature just before you get home, rather than leaving it on all day so that you can come home to a comfortable home.

Smart Lighting

Smart lighting lets you upgrade your space with features such as motion sensors, dimmers, and app access, but even better -these features save money on your utility bill.

  • Using LED lighting, dimmers save money on a 1:1 ratio so dimming 50%  reduces energy usage by 50%.
  • Motion sensors ensure that lights go off when not in use and on when you need them.
  • App Control provides a way to turn off and on lights from anywhere, so you can still return home to a well-lit home without having to leave them on while away.

Remote Power Management

We’d probably be quite surprised if we could add up all of the wasted energy we use and measure it against our actual needful usage. Leaving lights, fans, electronics, appliances, and things like curling irons is a huge and costly waste. Energy consumption by televisions and other electronics that are in the “always on” mode (but look off) is also a big contributor of wasted energy. With smart home technology, you can control all of these things from an app on your smartphone or tablet, and precisely manage your energy use.

Pro Tip: Energy consumption by televisions and other electronics that are in the “always on” mode (but look off) is also a big contributor of wasted energy.

 

Increased Efficiency and Productivity

It may seem like a small thing, but when all of the peripheral things are working efficiently, automatically, and smartly then you can, too. By using these things as a tool you can keep yourself on track, on time, and motivated. For example, using lighting and temperature controls can help you wake up on time, while enabled appliances are already at work so that you can get to work more quickly. You can also eliminate distractions with smart technologies like video doorbells so that you can accomplish your tasks without interruptions. All of these things ultimately make and save you money.

Adopting smart technologies for a truly connected home not only puts a lot of cool features and conveniences in your hand, it keeps money in your pocket.

About Security Instrument

Security Instrument is Delaware’s largest full-service independently owned security firm, serving Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland with safety, security, and smart home technologies.

/by

Why you should integrate lights with your home security system

Now that home security customers have access to interactive systems that can control lights inside the home, there is a greater opportunity for them to use lights as a security tool. How is that done? Here are some ideas for making the lights in your home a security advantage, using the Virtual Keypad app on your mobile device.

  • When you arrive home at night, manually turn on your front door lights from the driveway before exiting the car – or better yet, turn them on before you leave work.
  • Alternatively, program your lights to automatically come on at the same time the alarm is disarmed every night.
  • If you live alone or are concerned about night time break-ins, program a downstairs lamp to come on during peak vulnerability hours. For example, a light can be on from midnight-4 a.m. Ask us about the optional lamp module service that does this!
  • Program indoor lights to come on if there is an alarm activation.
  • Before going on vacation or away overnight, program your lights to come on at dusk and remain on until sunrise.

Of course, you can customize your Home Automation system to turn lights on and off as needed; after all, no one knows your schedule better than you.

Remember, though: This is also a remote energy management system. With the economy being what it is, we can all use a viable way to cut corners; what better place to start than your utility usage? It may not be practical to stop running your dishwasher at night or to cut down on the family’s laundry. But what is practical is making sure lights are only on when they need to be, and that is what Security Instrument offers.

About Security Instrument

To learn more about a remote access solution that leverages your lights to the fullest for the sake of security, contact Security Instrumenttoday. We will be glad to answer your questions about your lighting control and smart home security options.

/by