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A smart home often conjures up visions of a habitat full of internet-enabled devices communicating with each other as well as with a central hub and doing everything you simply tell it to. Smart devices form the backbone of an intelligent and connected space and just how many will make your home smart(er) is largely driven by your personal choice, budget, and the benefits you derive from them.

From multi-themed smart homes, complete with garage doors that open and close using voice assistants like Alexa/Google Assistant or sensors that gauge a vehicle’s proximity to the door, to fridges that tell you what you need to buy because you’ve run out, it’s a buyer’s prerogative. Smart water systems, irrigation systems, and various bathroom products (e.g., shower heads, faucets) reduce water wastage, besides saving energy. But if you’re wondering how to save money on your utility bills, is the so-called ‘smart home’ a sustainable option? Let’s see:

Energy efficiency The superior features of something as mundane as a smart bulb include better brightness, wireless connectivity, and the benefit of remote control using voice commands and apps. But these devices are becoming increasingly popular for another reason - they consume far less energy, significantly reducing electricity bills. With sensor driven technology, these devices can also switch off when no one’s in the room, keeping energy wastage down to a bare minimum.

Energy dashboard In your home design plans try and include a smart energy monitor for your home electrical system that can “tell” you in real time which of your devices is using or wasting energy. Such monitors use data and built-in logic to identify all of your gadgets and pinpoint energy wastage and overuse, which tend to increase your power bills.

All it takes is a few minutes to install the smartphone app that connects to the energy monitor. After that, on a 24/7 basis, you can track your residential energy usage from the comfort of your smartphone. From the comfort of your couch, get to know how much of usable electricity your rooftop solar panels are producing. Ever wondered how much power is lost when charging your electric vehicle? Smart monitors will help you keep tabs on that and lots more.

Consumption analysis Based on energy usage trends tracked down by the smart monitor, you can repair energy-guzzling devices and save money or replace them with smarter options. Smart monitors can give you data, such as kilowatt hours of energy consumed per person per month. You can use the knowledge gained from smart monitoring to make your home greener and more energy efficient.

Phasing out old appliances in favor of newer ones presents potential for energy saving. Some of the new crop of smart devices have a slightly higher price tag, but are worth the price since they don’t add to your home’s energy load. With energy efficient design and high environmental performance scores, they will save you a lot in energy bills over the lifetime of the equipment. This could be anything between 10-15 years in many cases. A crucial caveat here is that many smart gadgets come with programmable options and it’s important to enable them in order to achieve your energy goals.

Over a 25-year term, your household energy savings are going to be significantly high, thanks to smart home design plans. A smart system for an 800 sq. ft. apartment is estimated to pay off in six years, according to one study. Very likely you will save more if your home is one with rainwater harvesting systems, natural lighting and ventilation (which reduces light/fan/AC usage), and recycled water is used to flush toilets.

Positivity and contentment The positive cascading effect of smart devices can help you minimize your dependence on fossil fuels. The Co2 released increases the acid content of our oceans and contaminates fresh water sources as well, in turn, threatening aquatic life. There is a lot of satisfaction to be gained by consuming less energy and contributing your share, no matter how small, to reduce this world’s carbon footprint. It’s a way of life that encourages us to make sustainable choices that have the least possible impact on our planet’s environment.

This is the new "normal lifestyle" that more people are happily settling into. In short, the smart choices you make with respect to the connected home of the future will help you save money, conserve natural resources, and live a more sustainable and happy life. So, “YES!”, making your home smarter is, indeed, a sustainable solution.

Smart home design interiors represent an important chip in this energy-saving game. Expert professionals in the construction industry, like ours at JSW One Homes, can help make your home smart and sustainable. Our professionals will work with you every step of the way to configure the smart home of your dreams, one brick at a time. Get in touch with us today by making an appointment and let us show you just how sustainable a smart home can be.