5 ways of using a smart plug
Smart plugs are versatile little devices that are essential to every smart home. They are plugged in between your lights or appliances and the power grid and make it possible for you to automate and remote control the appliances. Some smart plugs also come with an energy monitoring functionality.
Here are 5 everyday situations where smart plugs can be useful for you:
- Protect your home while on vacation
- Get an overview of your electricity consumption and start reducing it
- Reduce standby consumption of your appliances
- Spot faulty electrical devices
- Turn off your grandma’s iron when she forgot
Protect your home while on vacation
Did you know that smart plugs can help you protect your home and belongings? By setting up schedules to turn on the lights connected to your smart plugs while you are on vacation you can make it seem like somebody is home – even though you’re enjoying a well-deserved vacation away from home.
With the smart plugs, you can have peace of mind while you’re away because you don’t have to worry about someone entering your empty-looking home.
Get an overview of your electricity consumption and start reducing it
Get a smart plug that simultaneously functions as an electricity meter to get an overview of your consumption and identify which appliance in your home is the most energy-thirsty one.
You can connect pretty much any device that has a plug to a smart plug to track its electricity consumption. And once you know who the main offenders are you can try to reduce the consumption and your electricity bill.
Reduce standby consumption of your appliances
You might think that your TV is not consuming energy when you have turned it off, but that’s unfortunately not the case. Many appliances consume a low but noticeable amount of energy when they are supposed to be turned off which can pile up over time – as they say, many pennies make a dollar.
But no worries, there is an easy solution. Connect a smart plug to your TV, gaming console, or other appliance that has standby consumption and set up schedules to turn them off completely at times when they are not in use. If you’re not using them following a regular schedule, you can also just turn them on via your smartphone or voice assistant whenever you want to use them.
Spot faulty electrical devices
Sometimes, older electrical appliances can have an abnormally high electricity consumption. While it is mostly cheaper and better for the environment to keep using the things you already have, in some cases it can be worth replacing older appliances and saving electricity in the everyday life.
Sudden spikes in electricity consumption, for example of your fridge, can be measured with a smart plug and are a clear sign that it might be time for something new – even if the appliance is still working, you may spend a fortune on electricity.
Turn off your grandma’s iron when she forgot
Do you have an elderly relative that is living alone and is getting a bit forgetful? You can install a smart home system with smart plugs in their home and get notified if some of their appliances are running for an unusually long time.
And if they are, you can just turn them off remotely and make sure that the iron is cooling down before it can start a house fire.
Do you need a smart plug for your home? Take a look at the Smart Plug Mini, a small and friently smart plug with electricity monitoring.
