Home automation identifies technologies designed for the use in the home of smart appliances and accessories, capable of connecting to the Internet and performing smart functions, which can also be assigned remotely (when we are away from home). In addition to the whim of having smart appliances, home automation can be a valid help to effectively reduce the costs of the main bills (electricity and gas), just use the right tools! Home automation can be used without having to replace all household appliances but by relying on small smart solutions with a cost accessible to all, which will give great energy savings in the medium and long term.
We discover in this guide the best smart home automation devices that can save us on home bills .
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Automated sockets
Smart sockets can be used to turn off remotely or to control the ignition of any device that requires the insertion of an electrical outlet to function. Thanks to these solutions we will be able to bring a pinch of home automation to any point of the house, with the possibility of planning the switching on or off via a mobile app (even outside the home) or switching on or off on command without having to be present in front of the device. The smart sockets are very convenient for household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, to remotely turn off a TV or a whole series of devices connected to a power strip, so as to save even at night (where usually the devices remain in stand-by mode by continuing to consume power).The intelligent socket model that we can evaluate for the purchase is the TP-Link HS100, available here -> TP-Link HS100 (35 €).
Simply connect this device to your home electrical outlet and use its socket to control any household appliance or device (German Shuko socket). The device works as a simple on / off switch and it will be enough to connect it to the home WiFi network and use the dedicated app to remotely control the ignition, schedule ignitions and shutdowns or even set an operating timer. The socket can still be turned on or off manually thanks to the button on the front, so that you can still maintain control of its functionality.
We can download the KASA app (required for device control) from here -> KASA (Android) and KASA (iOS).
Alternatively we can buy the next model of the same socket, the TP-Link HS110, available here -> TP-Link HS110 (40 €).
This socket is completely identical in functionality to the previous model (it connects via WiFi and allows you to control the switching on and off) but also offers real-time monitoring on electricity consumption, so you can always know when we are consuming from the point of electricity and thus save on electricity costs. If you need to monitor consumption, this socket must be absolutely included in your set of devices designed for home automation.
Automatic thermostats
Thermostats allow you to control the temperature in your home and manage the operation of the heating system (gas boiler) and / or the cooling system (air conditioner). The simpler thermostats already allow to obtain a minimum of intelligent functions, in particular the models equipped with weekly or daily chrono thermostat functions, so that you can decide when to turn on the devices for controlling the home temperature at any time of the year.If we really want to bring our home into the future, we will have to focus on Smart thermostats, which can offer information via the Internet and control the boiler or air conditioning system in a completely automatic way, reducing user interaction to almost zero.
These devices tend to be very expensive, but luckily the Beok BOT-313 is available, a WiFi thermostat for gas boilers available here -> Beok BOT-313 (37 €).
This intelligent thermostat connects to the home WiFi network and allows you to automatically set the days on which to turn on the boiler, the differential and the setpoint (i.e. the desired temperature) in which to turn on the boiler and, thanks to the app, to dedicated furniture, we can control the ignition and operation of the boiler when we are away from home with a simple tap.
Easy to assemble (requires only two electrical wires for power supply and two wires for boiler control) and a clean and simple design, it will make heating the home and controlling gas consumption more effective.
We can download the apps to control this thermostat here -> Beok Home (Android) and Beok Home (iOS).
The only real alternative to the proposed solution is to focus on the top of the range in the category, namely the Nest thermostat (owned by Google), available here -> Nest T3010IT (€ 214).
Unique and futuristic design, the Nest allows you to control both the boiler and any air conditioning system to keep under control at room temperature, completely automatically. By connecting it to the home WiFi network, it will provide notifications via the dedicated app, with the possibility of making changes to the operation of the systems managed by means of a convenient tap.
Eco mode is useful, which allows you to save a lot on your gas and electricity bills while maintaining the temperature at the desired comfort level.
The base must be connected to the electrical network and to the wires coming from the boiler and from the air conditioner, while the operational part can be safely detached and placed anywhere else in the house.
Nest apps are available here -> Nest (Android) and Nest (iOS).
READ ALSO: Smart thermostat and automatic heating and air conditioner control
Automatic lights
By purchasing wireless lights and bulbs we will be able to illuminate a room only at the command, turn off the lights left on by mistake or set times when it is possible to leave the lights on or off, so as to avoid possible waste. For example, if we go home at 19, we can make sure that the lights are turned on at a specific time or as soon as our smartphone connects to the WiFi network and automatically turn them off at night. To obtain this type of control we will have to focus on LED bulbs with WiFi connection, so that we can program them according to our needs.One of the most effective solutions is the TP-Link LED Bulb, available here -> TP-Link LED Bulb (34 €).
This LED bulb with E27 socket can be used as a normal energy saving bulb but we can also connect it to the home WiFi network and, through the KASA app, program its operation. We can turn it off remotely, set on and off times and monitor energy consumption, so as to further save on electricity bills.
The KASA app to control this bulb can be downloaded from here -> KASA (Android) and KASA (iOS).
If instead we look for the top of the range smart bulbs we can only focus on the Philips Hue White Starter Kit, available here -> Philips Hue White Starter Kit (74 €).
This kit includes two LED bulbs with energy saving E27 socket plus a Hue control unit, which will allow you to control the bulbs via WiFi connection and dedicated app. Once the unit has been placed and connected, simply use the app to switch the lights on or off remotely, program an automatic on or off time and ultimately monitor the electricity consumption supplied.
With the control unit you can control up to 50 lights and 10 accessories simultaneously, using the app available here -> Philips Hue (Android) and Philips Hue (iOS).
READ ALSO: 8 home automation products (Smart Home) easy to assemble and use
