Are you planning to make your home a smart home? We know that there are more and more passionate about these technologies. It all started with virtual assistants and now they are used for everything: from controlling television with your voice to programming appliances from anywhere in the world. But, does it make the electricity bill too expensive to have these smart devices?
Depending on your lifestyle, a smart home can be a good option to reduce the electricity consumption of your appliances . If you do not know how much energy a smart home consumes, then we will explain it to you!
What is a smart home?
An intelligent home can be defined as a home that facilitates domestic tasks by adapting to the habits of its members .
Although there are those who can visualize a smart home as doors and windows opening and closing on their own, the intelligence of a house is more than that. It consists of adding and integrating smart devices for any task .
In this way, a smart home will facilitate your stay at home with locks, lights, heating, etc. that can react to orders given through a device, such as your smartphone through apps.
But how many “Smart Devices” do I need for my smart home? More and more smart devices appear on the market that can make your choice difficult. To do this, you should only think about what can really make a difficult, uncomfortable or boring task easier for you.
In any case, at Gana Energía we remind you that a smart home is characterized by its energy efficiency and is a great ally for saving time and energy . For example, by allowing you to program the power off and on and automatically detecting if the devices are being used or not.
What devices make up a smart home?
We can say that the main device to control a smart home is your smartphone . With it you can interact with all the devices that connect to the network. It is important that you bear in mind that if the devices are not connected to the Internet we will not be able to use them .
When you have these elements ready, you just have to imagine how your home would look like with which smart device. In this way, you can search the market for devices that integrate your smart home, such as the following:
- Locks : You can use your smartphone as a key to automatically access your home safely and with total comfort.
- Light bulbs : Give your room or house in general a characteristic atmosphere with the color and intensity you want through your smartphone.
- Speakers : Perfect for playing the music you want when you get home or while you’re inside via voice or smartphone.
- Refrigerators : Through its internet connection, you can see exactly what is missing from your refrigerator and make automatic orders.
- Heating : Keep your home warm minutes before you get home on those cold and rainy days only with the app on your mobile.
- Air conditioning : Keep your home cool on those hot summer days by programming its operation through your Smartphone.
- Vacuum cleaners: If you don’t have time to clean your home, the maps and sensors of smart vacuum cleaners will allow you to do it just by pressing the screen of your Smartphone.
Now that you have an idea of everything that can be implemented to turn your home into a smart home, it is worth reflecting on how much energy a smart home uses.
How much energy does a smart home need?
Smart homes can save up to 40% on electricity bills. Even so, this depends on the contracted electricity rate and your habits.
If we think of a home in which a family of 4 lives with the electrical appliances that every home can have (computers, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, microwave, etc.), we can make a monthly estimate of how much energy a smart home needs :
| Devices | Normal house | Smart House |
| 12 bulbs | 48 kWh | 81.6 kWh |
| 1 refrigerator | 504 kWh | 403.2 kWh |
| 6 smartphones | 946.8 kWh | 946.8 kWh |
| 1 mod | 4.32 kWh | 4.32 kWh |
| 4 computers | 144 kWh | 144 kWh |
| 1 washing machine | 3 kWh | 1.5 kWh |
| 1 microwave | 2.4 kWh | 1.2 kWh |
| 1 electric stove | 180 kWh | 90 kWh |
In the table above, being an estimated energy consumption depending on the model and energy label of your devices, smart devices generally have lower consumption.
This is thanks to the possibility they offer of being off for longer, especially in those moments when we really do not need to use them.
How can I save on the electricity bill at home?
To save on the electricity bill, it is best to bet on efficient devices, whether or not they are intelligent . At Gana Energía , we recommend you always choose LED bulbs since their electricity consumption is lower.
In addition, it is advisable to review the contracted electrical power . Many consumers do not know that they actually have more contracted power than they need and this makes their bill more expensive each month. Your electricity company should recommend the power that best suits your consumption .
Another important factor to pay less for electricity is to have a cheap electricity rate that best suits your consumption habits.
