Upgrading a home with the latest technology sounds great, but it’s even more rewarding when you know you’re doing your part to help the planet. Smart home technology has a role to play in reducing our energy costs and generally making our lives more environmentally friendly. We look at the biggest players in the smart home space every day, and these are some of the things that are having the biggest impact on the fight against climate change and the reduction of plastic waste.
Ecobi
Ecobee was the first company to create an Internet-connected smart thermostat. By being able to factor in local weather forecasting, leverage presence detection and humidity monitoring, Ecobi claims that the increased efficiency of its thermostats has equivalent to 17.7 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. This energy efficiency has not only earned them Energy Star Certification but also the Partner of the Year for 2021 and 2022. Ecobi is also aware of e-waste. It maintains a strong repair and resale business and provides software updates for several generations. Recycled plastic is used in the Ecoby thermostat, also its packaging is completely recyclable. If you work with the Community Housing Association and its partnerships with researchers, you have a company that seems to be really dedicated to building a better future.
Rachio
Rachio is one of the biggest leaders in smart lawn irrigation. We have I’ve tried Rachio’s stuff in the past and am fascinated, but it brings much more to the table than just convenience, even watering the lawn. As a Certified B Corporation, it meets Sustainable quality is an asset And won the award by placing them among the top B corps there. Rachio claims to have saved 45 billion gallons of water through increased efficiency, which is a big deal when many ecosystem-thirsty cities are facing losses. If we want to make sure we have enough water for each of us, we need solutions like Rachio’s to help reduce our consumption.
Aquanta
Related 15% of a home’s exhaust water comes from heating. Some companies are trying to optimize that use with Wi-Fi-enabled controllers. Aquanta is one of the most successful players in this field. The device can be restored to existing heaters and once set up, users can keep tabs on everything using their phones. The mobile app can track how much hot water is being stored and how much has been used, provide maintenance alerts and allow Aquanta to learn usage habits over time to optimize the heating schedule. The only downside is that it doesn’t work with heat pumps or tankless heaters, both of which are highly efficient water heaters. Fighting climate change is the focus of the Aquantar mission. Most of the controller technology was developed while working on its first product, a solar water heater. It is an active member of a range of renewable energy associations.
Span
Although many of these products have zero energy savings in individual segments, a relatively new manufacturer is trying to report to the source. Span is offering a smart electrical panel that integrates seamlessly with the solar panel and storage setup. Owners get full remote control of their complete breaker system. The span solution is also designed with EVs in mind, so it can provide Level 2 charging speeds to your garage car. Their mobile app is neatly arranged so you can set priorities for which device at home gets juice during distractions.
Solar Edge
The biggest smart upgrade to a home right now is a batch of rooftop solar panels. Developers have created powerful mobile apps for status monitoring on a module-by-module basis, and have even integrated it with common smart home tropes such as voice assistant support. SolarEdge is a large solar inverter manufacturer that has turned this work into a reliable app. It tracks real-time power consumption, power generation status, current battery capacity and how much power you are selling on the grid. This type of management is a key part of making people-friendly people jump. Inverters are reliable enough that Tesla has partnered with SolarEdge to integrate them with Powerwall batteries. In addition to providing power management to individual homeowners, SolarEdge has a full arm dedicated to grid solutions that help ensure the power your home receives.
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