The first thing most people think of when they think of buying tech gadgets is how expensive they are. While some tech gadgets are expensive and are luxury items, there are many items that will actually save you money. Some may pay for themselves in less than a year.
Here are some of my top tech gadgets that can save you money:
Smart Thermostats
According to EnergyRates.ca, “Smart thermostats can help you reduce your heating and cooling costs from 10 to 25 percent.” Most of these gadgets can sense if your room is unoccupied. Then it can adjust the temperature accordingly so it doesn’t waste energy heating or cooling when no one is home.
Smart Light Bulbs
While smart light bulbs used to scare people off because you needed a special hub to make them all work, these days, some don’t require any hub. These newer smart bulbs can connect to your Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
Although they are more expensive than a regular lightbulb, they use far less energy and last a lot longer than regular light bulbs. They can be placed on timers to turn on and off on their own. Some can even sense when you are not at home and turn off automatically.
Battery Charger
Batteries can be pricey, especially if your family uses them 24/7 in toys and electronics around the house. Why not invest in rechargeable batteries? They will save you the time it takes to go to the store and save money because you’ll buy fewer at the store. Keeping charged batteries on hand will ensure you always have spare ones for when yours die. You’ll never have an upset baby again when one of her toys doesn’t work and you have no more batteries!
Smart Power Strips
Smart Power Strips shut down power to products that go in standby mode, meaning that when your product is not being used for a certain amount of time, the power supply won’t be sent to that electronic device. This saves you tons of money! About 5 to 10 percent of your household energy consumption is from items in your house that are not being used but are plugged in, according toscience.howstuffworks.com. Imagine the savings there per year!
Cut Cable
Cable is pricey! These days, there are tons of alternate electronic devices you can use in place of that big, pricey cable box. There are Amazon Cubes, Fire Sticks, Ruku, Apple TV and more. All of these items have apps on them that allow you to pay a much cheaper price to watch live television or even just Netflix. It’s up to you how much you want to spend – not the cable company.
Smart Plug
Imagine being able to turn off appliances with an app on your phone! Let’s say your kids always forget to turn the lights off (huge electricity waster). You can check the app with your phone and turn the lights off even if you aren’t in the house, if that light is plugged into your smart plug. You can also set schedules with the smart plugs. Your lights turn on at 8 am and off at 11 pm. Money saver central!
Occupancy Sensing Light Switch
Lights on when you enter a room and lights off when you leave — talk about a money saver! You won’t even have to think about if you left the lights on in your bedroom again.
Leak Detectors
Leak detectors for smoke, water and more will alert you if something is going wrong in your home. Not only will this save you money because you can catch something going wrong so quickly, but it can save your life and your home.
All eight of these items seem like essentials for your smart home, but even buying just a few of them will save you lots of money in the long run. Your energy bill will substantially lower — a big plus for your wallet, the environment and your peace of mind.
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