New Apps That Help You Reduce the Amount of Energy You Use at Home

Energy efficiency. As more people become aware of how important it is to preserve the environment as well as its resources, that is a phrase that tends to come up pretty often in conversation. And in the efforts to be more energy efficient, we do things like turn out the lights when we leave a room, turn off the water while we’re brushing our teeth, use fluorescent light bulbs instead of standard ones, turn on our ceiling fans to cool down the temperatures in our homes and make sure that there are no cracks in our window sills. All of these things help us to be aware of the amount of energy that we use on a daily basis.

Yet, wouldn’t it be great if there were tools that could assist us in being more energy efficient? After all, sometimes we leave the house and forget to turn out our bedroom light or set our thermostat to a higher temperature (so that it won’t work so hard to keep the air circulating). Well, the good news is that as technology progresses, there actually are a few apps that you can purchase that will help you to better monitor your energy usage.

For instance, one that is getting a lot of media attention right now is a light bulb that was invented by Smartbotics, a company in Los Gatos, California that goes by the name Robosmart. Although it retails for $40 per bulb, many find it to be well worth the price tag being that it can be turned on or off by the simple use of a smartphone, laptop or tablet. The way it is able to do this is the light bulb is actually embedded with a Bluetooth sensor that is created to be compatible with Apple’s iOS platform. The plan is that by the first of September, it will be able to run on Android devices as well.

Another app that you might be excited to know about is the Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat that comes complete with its own full-color customizable screen. With it, you can also use your phone, computer or tablet to adjust the temperature settings or even set your own heating and cooling schedule based on whether you’re home or away. That’s pretty remarkable because that means if you are on vacation and want to turn your lights on at night to make it look like you’re there, you can do so with the help of your cell phone.

And still another device that can help you to be energy efficient is a wireless retrofit plug. For the cost of $50, you can purchase this modlet in order to control virtually any plugged-in appliance in your home. So, whether you want to change the Fahrenheit temperature on your HVAC unit or you forgot to turn off your stove on the way out the door, now, through your iOS or Android device, you can do perform these tasks no matter where you are.

It really is pretty amazing what can be done, all through the power of an app and when it comes to energy efficiency, now you don’t have to use a lot of energy to save energy. And yes, that is pretty awesome, indeed.