Smart panels are primarily sought after for the ease of use they provide. You can set and forget everything from lighting to heating and cooling to security systems. And indeed, as part of an overall smart home system, smart panels make the complete integration of these separate home systems possible. But one often overlooked benefit of a smart panel system is the efficiency (and thus savings) they can provide.
As one example, lowering your home’s temperature by just seven degrees Fahrenheit at night while you sleep and are least likely to notice can help you save up to 10% annually on your electric bill. Turning off appliances or home systems with significant power requirements (such as a water feature, pool pumps, garage or workshop air conditioning, etc.) for extended periods when they are not in use can save energy and extend the life of the appliance or system.
How a smart panel makes this possible is not that it’s performing an action you couldn’t do on your own. It’s that the action is automated so it will get done and you don’t have to think about it.
The problem with trying to take on energy saving measures on our own is that we often forget, get busy or just get lazy over time. Most human beings have a way of letting mundane actions (such as those performed for energy savings or cost cutting) easily fall by the wayside. It’s a lot like going to gym. We know we need to and we paid for the membership but…oh, look, is that a distraction over there?
Smart panels allow us to conserve energy usage by taking the “we’re going to…” out of the equation. And that’s not to suggest humanity is always better or even well served by relying on technology than by our own willpower and resolution to stay the course. Rather, in modern life, we have more important things to apply our willpower to. If we can make our homes more efficient and save money without having one more measure of minutia to worry about and deal with on a daily basis, that leaves more time and energy for us to devote to what’s really important in life.
