It's time to take control of your home energy use
Lower your carbon footprint with the updated SmartThings app.
Everyone, from individuals to corporations, needs to change their energy use in response to climate change. A greener future starts with each of us. Energy efficiency is a key to lowering society’s carbon footprint. With a little knowledge and creativity, you can rethink how to conserve energy for yourself, your family and your community.
“Sustainability starts at home,” notes the U.K.-based sustainability organization Carbon Trust. U.S. households’ energy consumption accounts for 20% of national CO2 emissions. That makes American homes “the world sixth-largest greenhouse gas emitter, comparable to Brazil and larger than Germany,” the National Academies of Science reported in 2020. Major contributors to those emissions are air conditioners and major appliances.
Real change is only possible when you have full visibility into your energy usage patterns. With SmartThings Energy, a free service addition on SmartThings app,
you can monitor and control your energy use from your phone. Being more informed about energy usage can translate into lower power bills if you take action. The average American family currently spends $2,000 a year on electricity annually, according to the nonprofit Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
The new SmartThings Energy reporting features make it easy to identify ways to cut wasteful energy consumption. The app lets you monitor, track and manage how and when compatible Samsung appliances and air conditioners do their chores. With this data in hand, the next step is readjusting your lifestyle. During the two years Samsung developed SmartThings Energy in collaboration with early adopters in several countries, we learned how people can successfully change their energy consumption.
A personal shift to an energy-efficient house
In California, one Samsung employee’s mother reduced her environmental impact by using appliances during off-peak hours. Utilities pollute most during peak periods, when even the greenest sources bring gas-, oil- or coal-fired generation online to
meet demand. She made a habit of boiling a pot of water right before her utility company’s peak usage hours began in the late afternoon and then she’d set an alarm for when those hours ended. That way, she could make tea, start the dishwasher and
laundry machines at off-peak rate.
The new energy-aware features in the SmartThings app can help change your power usage habits, too. Nothing helps more than learning from experience. With SmartThings Energy’s Discover feature, you can view usage by hour and by device. This
way, you’ll know fairly soon if a certain behavior change actually moves the needle. We can all do our part to combat climate change.
TIP: Always wash clothes in cold water. Heating water is responsible for 90% of washing machine's energy consumption.
A sustainable family value
Some parents and children in Asia sleep in one air-conditioned room on balmy nights to reduce their need for multiple air conditioners. Several early adopters shared this practice with Samsung, and it also saved them money. When sleeping in separate rooms, the average family of four can use up to three times the energy. A new Budgeting tool in the app can help you estimate monthly utility costs and track against your budget goal.
TIP: When you turn on your air conditioner, set the target temperature as low as desirable. Once your home starts to cool down, gradually increase the temperature to the optimal 78 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Department of Energy, that balances energy savings and comfort at home.
A national movement for energy-efficient homes
In 2018, South Koreans completed a five-month campaign to reduce their energy use when they agreed to automatically switch their Samsung air conditioners to energy-saving mode at key times of the day. They received a notification on their
phones from the SmartThings Energy app, which managed the process. More than 3,600 households made this adjustment 27 times over the course of the five-month program. The project saved 30 million kilowatt hours of power, which reduced
greenhouse gas emissions as much as preventing 53.4 million miles of driving a passenger car, according the Environmental Protection Agency.
Start your savings program by turning on the app’s Energy Savers Notification to get alerts when you are using energy more than usual or when you leave a device running while away from home. You can turn the device off right from your phone
with a tap of a button.
TIP: Create a "Goodbye" scene on SmartThings app to turn off select devices when you are away from home.
Increasingly, where you live and how your community acts will become a key part of a more energy efficient future. For example, if your local utility burns oil or coal to generate electricity, any efforts you make to reduce usage translates into cleaner air. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encourages local governments to “promote further energy use reductions in the residential sector by promoting energy-efficient products.” Don’t wait for your community to get started, lead the way with SmartThings Energy, a tool that empowers you to contribute to a greener planet.
Making the necessary changes requires more than the right decisions from just one country, company or person. All of us will have to do our part, together for a greener future.
Have you already got the SmartThings app?
Here’s how to find and activate SmartThings Energy: Open the app and tap Life in the menu bar, then tap the “+” and select SmartThings Energy to add the service. You’re all set to start saving power and lowering your environment impact.
