Do you love technology? If so, you might already have smart gadgets installed at home. These devices can make life more convenient — but they’re helpful for the planet, too. It turns out smart homes could be an effective way to convince individuals to adopt eco-friendly lifestyles.
Take a look at five ways smart households inevitably pave the way for greener lifestyles. These methods are easy to adopt and help you save money and help the planet.
1. Reduced Electricity Consumption
If you use smart thermostats, lights and outlets, you consume less electricity. This technology usually allows users to control them from anywhere. Therefore, you can turn down your heat and switch off your appliances when you don’t need to use them. There are sometimes options for automation, too.
This trick ensures you don’t waste excess power and save money. Why let your home suck up electricity when you have different options? There’s no reason not to use smart technology to be more responsible financially and sustainably.
2. Less Wasteful Appliances
Objects like Wi-Fi-enabled crockpots might not seem like solutions for sustainability. However, you can waste less energy when you opt for specific appliances. Energy Star fridges and ovens sometimes contain smart technology, so you can enjoy various benefits while you add a few fun gadgets to your kitchen.
If you monitor your appliances with your phone or tablet, you can shut them down whenever you don’t use them. This trick reduces excess energy consumption. Plus, you’ll be able to keep an eye on your meals as they cook.
3. Better Indoor Air Quality
There’s a connection between air quality and climate change, as gases like methane create pollution and warm the atmosphere. Therefore, you need to do your best to decrease poor air quality in your home. It’s easier than ever with smart technology.
These preventive measures can happen through smart devices like smoke detectors, which can sound alerts when it detects things such as carbon monoxide. Other monitors report on humidity levels, air pressure and more. Keep your home free from pollutants to improve your lifestyle and the environment.
4. Save More Water
It’s even easy to save water with smart gadgets. If you install smart sprinkler systems or faucet filters, you can conserve your household’s water usage. This effort means less energy will be used to heat your water — and you can reduce your bill, too. There are many plusses.
Did you know you can use technology to track current and future rainfall to save water? If you’ve ever wanted to collect rainwater to decrease your use further, gadgets can help. Homeowners who like to garden should especially enjoy water conservation tricks.
5. Decrease Carbon Footprint
Your carbon footprint matters, too. This concept relates to energy and water consumption, so anything you do to reduce your usage will decrease it. Smart technology overall can help people manage and track their emissions through data.
Because fossil fuel usage only continues to increase, you need to use your smart devices to manage your carbon footprint. Take smart meters as an example. These gadgets can give you more insight into your energy use so you can make changes accordingly.
Smart Homes Pave the Way for Sustainability
It might not seem as though something like your Google Home could make the world a better place. However, you can use your smart devices to impact the environment directly. These items were made to save energy and money, so you just need to utilize them to make a difference. There are endless applications for technology to lead a greener lifestyle at home.
Bio:
Jane is the Editor-in-Chief of Environment.co and an environmental writer covering green technology, sustainability and environmental news.
