Utility bills for heating and cooling, water, lights, appliances, and laundry may become expensive, but some smart home tech products can help curb household consumption.
Smart thermostats such as Nest are becoming more popular with homeowners, allowing users to stabilize and manage home temperatures anywhere, and at any time. Another way to save on heating and cooling costs are motorized shades, says Redfin content marketing coordinator Bailey Chauner. "Many motorized shades today allow you to set specific times when they should open or close via app ... You can also opt for honeycomb shades, which are designed especially for insulation." The average savings for using such products can be between $131 and $145 annually.
The financial and environmental costs of using utilities add up fast. In many cases – and we’re all guilty of this – we don’t realize how much we’re consuming until the utility bill shows up. We scratch our heads and think, “wow, there’s no way I used 897 kilowatt-hours of electricity this month.” (The average U.S. household uses that much each month and 10,766 kWh per year.) If you know what you’re doing, you can save hundreds of kWh each month by utilizing the latest in-home technology.