Four Great Apps to Improve Your Energy Efficiency at Home
Understanding how much energy you use and on what devices is the first step in improving your energy efficiency at home. But don't worry about pulling out your calculator - these days saving energy is easy, thanks to the many smartphone and tablet apps out there. Here's our selection of four apps that make optimizing your energy use at home a snap. What's more, they're all free!
Light Bulb Finder
Did you know that LEDs use only 15% to 20% of the energy burned by incandescent light bulbs? Upgrading your lighting to LED (or CFL) bulbs is an easy and quick way to improve your energy efficiency at home. But sometimes they can be expensive, or it might be difficult to find the right type of bulb. Enter Light Bulb Finder. This free app recommends the best energy-saving CFL or LED for your needs based on financial payback, light quality, fit and appearance. Use it to find stores near you, or purchase bulbs directly through the app.
Energy Cost Calculator
Find out exactly how much money you're wasting with inefficient habits. The Energy Cost Calculator assesses the operating costs and energy usage of various electrical equipment you use at home, including cost per day, per week, per month, or per year, along with carbon emissions. For each device, all you have to do is enter the consumption per hour, the number of hours you use it, and the cost per watt - the calculator does the rest! What's even better is that this app is free, and supports several languages other than English (including Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese, and German).
JouleBug
Make energy savings a game with JouleBug, which helps you make your everyday habits more sustainable by organizing energy saving actions into point-based achievements. The more energy-saving tips you follow, the more points you earn, allowing you to win pins, badges, and receive more fun and useful information about saving energy in your community and in the world. You can also compete in challenges, participate in sustainability-minded communities, and share your results on Facebook or Twitter. JouleBug is also free, and supports multiple languages (Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, German, and others)
Wink
Wink allows you to control connected products from a wide selection of brands so that you can monitor and manage everything in your home, even from a distance. This includes things like smart thermostats, smart air conditioners, or even your home security and home lighting systems. Brands on the Wink app include Bali, Cree, Commercial Electric, Dropcam, Emerson, GE, GoControl, Honeywell, Kidde, Kwikset, Lutron, Leviton, Nest, OSRAM, Pella, Philips, Quirky, Rachio, Schlage, TCP, and more. The app is free, and doesn't charge any fees to use.
Once you've got a handle on your energy consumption, why not take a look at the rate you pay for your energy? Many states in the US have opened their electricity and gas markets to competition, allowing you to compare and choose your supplier. Alternate suppliers offer a wider variety of energy and price options, including fixed rates and green energy. Call us at phone currently not available to find the best rates available in your area
What are your favorite apps to save energy? Let us know in the comments below!