What is your current power usage? How much did you use overnight? What about yesterday? Or last month? You probably don’t know. Most of us don’t!
How then, are we expected to take part in the global trend of reducing energy usage and carbon footprints? Even if one doesn’t care about the future of the planet or the survival of the human race, the mounting pressure on one’s pocket, due to the rising cost of energy, is usually motivation enough.
Ok, fine, so reducing energy going forward is a good idea, but how does my usage history impact the future?
It’s all about quality decision making. We are bombarded with so-called facts about energy savings; like, “a geyser timer saves electricity”. Does it? It could, depending on your specific geyser (Water heater), location of geyser, usage habits, etc. Unless you know how much energy your geyser consumes and when that consumption takes place, it’s impossible to know if a timer will be of any use? It’s more likely to simply cause you cold showers if not implemented correctly.
The first step to improving your energy usage habits is knowing where your energy is going, and when.
The Home Assistant automation platform has recently undergone a serious revamp around Energy Monitoring. With a few devices around the home or office, feeding Home Assistant your power usage over time, you are finally able to see an accurate breakdown of your usage.
With the ability to control these energy offenders remotely, you are well on your way to the smartest of smart homes (or businesses). If something is drawing power that shouldn’t be, just turn it off. If something critical like security equipment or massage chairs are powered down, simply energise them from your phone.
True home automation is not an additional remote, it’s the ability to autonomously make decisions based on known facts.
- Solar energy production is high, and my batteries are full, turn on the pool pump.
- It is getting light outside, turn off outside lights
- No one is at home (or office), turn off the heating or A/Cs.
What about the inverter that you paid a lot of money for? Whats going on with that? Are the batteries charged? Are you on back up power right now? Why doesnt it ever talk to you?
With smart automation, homes and offices start to look after their own energy consumption.
Smart automation doesn’t forget to turn off a heater because it overslept and is in a huge rush and hasn't had coffee yet!
Smart automation does wake up at first light, just to turn off the outside lights!
Smart automation will turn off every light, heater, aircon and geyser with one touch, and doesn’t have to think about what it forgot, while it drives down the road doubting itself!
The team at Milney Smart Automation design, configure and supply energy management systems. Home Assistant is our chosen platform as it is the most flexible and customisable system available. Any home or business, existing or still being built, can benefit from the savings of a smart energy system. It also happens to be a full automation system … Bonus!
Give us a shout! We love this stuff!
info@milney.co.za
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