How to Save Money with Smart Lights: The Ultimate Guide

Smart homes are becoming a common choice among people who love everything to be tech-oriented. Considering how smart homes offer convenience and comfort like nothing else can, their popularity is quite justified too.

Among the various components that make a smart home, smart lighting needs special mention. It is interesting to note that apart from smart homes, smart lights are being used in general homes and various public and commercial places as well.

Smart lights are not only high on the performance quotient, but they also save considerable energy and money at the same time. Installing the best smart lighting system for the home will not only upgrade the property valuation but also help in making significant savings.

Here are some reasons why smart lights have become a popular choice with people:

• Smart lights can be controlled remotely through a button, virtual assistant, or an app.
• With the installation of smart lights, the whole ambience of a home gets better.
• Using smart lights can help minimise energy usage and save money.

Along with transforming living spaces in homes and saving money, smart lights are also better for the environment since they help save energy as well.

However, before you plan to change the lighting system of your home to smart lights, you must do some research and study smart lighting systems to understand them. This article is a comprehensive guide on smart lights and how they help in saving energy and money.

How do smart lights work?

It goes without saying that smart lights are the most important part of a smart lighting system. Another important component is a hub. You will require a central device for controlling smart lights from any place in the home seamlessly and this device is called the hub.

The majority of smart lights use wireless transmissions for sending and receiving signals from the smart device or hub they are connected to. Various types of lights use different communication methods for accomplishing the work. While some smart lights connect to the smartphone via Bluetooth, others use Wi-Fi for connecting to the internet router directly.

Along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, many smart lights use Zigbee and Z-Wave, two of the most popular communication technologies used in smart homes and smart lighting systems.

Read Also: Smart Lighting For A Better Home

How do smart lights save money and energy?

When it comes to standard lights, LED (light-emitting diode) is the most energy-efficient option available. Good quality LED lights are long-lasting and durable and provide much better luminosity and brightness when compared to other light sources like incandescent bulbs and CFL lights.

Smart lights further increase the efficiency of LED lights as they come with additional features that help in saving energy and money at the same time.

Mentioned below are some ways in which smart lights can save you money by saving energy that will reflect in your monthly utility bills:

• Smart lights have a long life

The longevity of a smart light is somewhat between 15,000 and 50,000 hours on average. On the other hand, the lifespan of an incandescent bulb is merely between 750 to 2,000 hours on average. Considering that the average usage in a household is approximately 3-4 hours a day, a smart light will last for almost 15 to 25 years, while a general incandescent light can last for just a year or so.

You will not only end up saving money on energy bills but also contribute less waste to the environment. Along with personal gain, you will also become environment-friendly by reducing your carbon footprint and not contributing to landfills.

• Smart lights consume less electricity

Even little savings on home energy costs can translate to a lot of savings in the long run. You might save a small amount monthly, but the amount will accumulate to become more when you count it annually and then more as time passes and you will have ended up saving hundreds and thousands in a few years with smart lights.

The light technologies vary from one light bulb to another. For instance, LED lights are highly efficient when compared to CFLs and incandescent bulbs. Smart lights utilise less electricity as they dissipate minimum energy as heat and provide high-quality light. LEDs and smart lights are becoming the preferred choice with more homeowners.

• No worries if you forget to turn off the lights when you leave home

Many people forget to turn the lights off while leaving home. For some, this is a recurring event which happens quite a few times in a month. When the lights remain illuminated without any proper reason, it contributes to energy wastage and even higher energy bills. If you have CFLs or incandescent lights in your house, the light remains on till the time you reach home and switch them off manually.

However, with smart lights, this problem can be eliminated completely. Even if you forget to switch off your smart lights while leaving your home in a hurry, you can easily switch them off remotely via the smart home app on your tablet or smartphone. There is also the option of programming the smart home system for turning off the lights in the home using geolocation technology. With smart lights, there will be no more unnecessary energy wastage.

• Helps in tracking energy usage

Do you have any idea how much does a LED light cost to run? Well, with smart lights, you can track the energy usage in your home and monitor the usage quite closely. It might not be possible to calculate the exact amount of energy that a LED light or smart light consumes, but you will be able to have a fair idea.

When you review the usage data, you will have a clear idea of how much electricity and energy you are using. If you are using more energy than expected, you can work on devising ways and plans to cut down on your energy usage and bills.

• Reduce energy usage by lighting schedules

If you put some smart lights on a schedule, you will see that they are never left on when not needed. In this way, smart lights can help save energy and money on both a long-term and short-term basis.

For scheduling, you need to create regular programs as to how and when the smart lights will be turned on and turned off. This is highly suitable for specific rooms in the home like the bathroom or outdoor lights. Connect the lights to any smart home system for building the schedule. You will be able to make great savings on your light and electricity bills.

• Pairing with other devices works wonders

If you want higher control levels and more frugal usage, pair the smart bulbs with sensors, hardware switches, phones, and other accessories. Paired sensors help in automating smart lights. With the sensors, the lights turn on when someone enters a room, opens a door, or touches a cabinet. Motion sensors are the most popular choice in this regard.

Moreover, there are colour-changing lights for creating alerts based on different smart home sensors. For instance, you can program your bulbs to turn red when someone leaves the exterior door unlocked or bulbs can turn blue in case there is some water leakage or plumbing issues in your home, and so on.

Read Also: Make Your Home Equipped With Automated Lighting System

How much savings can you make from smart lights or LED lights?

You can calculate your savings with smart lights and LED lights only when you know how much does an LED bulb cost to run. The actual amount of savings depends on factors like the kind of lights you are using and the electricity rate in the area.

On average an LED light or smart light contributes very minutely to energy bills annually when compared to incandescent bulbs or CFLs. You might have to make upfront investments for LED lights or smart lights, but they are worth the investment from all aspects, particularly when you look at them on a long-term basis.

As the energy consumption is much lesser in LED bulbs and smart lights, it leads to more savings, both money-wise as well as energy-wise.

Deciding on using smart lights in homes? Choose from the best options at the Schneider Electric eShop!

Now that you know how smart lights function and how they help in saving energy and money on both a long-term and short-term basis, start making the lighting change in your home as soon as possible.

If you are looking for the best smart lighting system for your house, visit Schneider Electric eShop for choosing one that suits your specific requirements. You will be surprised by the wide variety of smart lights available at the eShop in different configurations and price ranges. Choose the ones which fit into your smart home system in the best possible way. Enhance the appeal and value of your home with smart lights. The eShop also houses other smart home solutions. Visit the official website for more information.