Control your energy use with one-touch automation.
Conserving energy at home shouldn’t require you to sacrifice comfort, make you feel deprived or require a change of routine or lifestyle or create a lot of extra work. With an automation system at the helm of your house, you don’t need to be uncomfortable or inconvenienced to conserve energy, as the system is able to operate the lights, thermostats, and other power-hungry devices with the utmost efficiency.
There are tons of resources on saving energy, starting with the Bend Energy Challenge. And, as always, let us know if you need help with automating your energy savings!
–Lawrence, Isaac, and Robert
Control Your Energy From Anywhere
First and foremost, a fully automated home allows you to control your home environment from anywhere. If you are stuck at work later than usual, you can control your heating or cooling from your phone. Or, do you think you forgot to turn off those lights in the garage? Turn them off while you wait for that meeting to start. You have total control over your energy use all the time.
Heating and Cooling
Heating and cooling is usually the biggest energy user, especially heating here in Central Oregon. Setting your temperature back for at least eight hours a day, usually at night, or when you are away during the day, can save you 5-15% on your heating bill. Using a programmable Control4 thermostat to implement a temperature set back can save you money and energy.
Dim the Lights
All lights, even low energy LEDs and CFL bulbs, reduce their energy consumption when dimmed. Dimming also has the benefit of extending the life of these bulbs so there’s less contribution to the landfills. Dimmable lights also provide just the right amount of lighting at the right time.
Program Your Lights for Savings
With a Control4 connected home, you can program your indoor or outdoor lights to be on only when you need them to be. You can program a “Sunrise” and “Sunset” setting on your system so at sunrise, your outdoor lighting will turn off and at sunset, they will turn back on. Or, program a “green scene” setting to put your home in energy saving mode—turn off lights, dim the lights that are still on, lower the shades, and turn off vampire devices that are not being used.
Set the Fans
Program bathroom lights and fans to turn off after a time set delay. When the bathroom light and fan are turned on, a timer will make sure they turn off automatically after a specified amount of time. A fan timer can also be used as a reminder to finish showering, saving water and energy.
Use Motion Sensors Both Inside and Out.
It’s often easy to leave the lights on in the more seldom used rooms such as bathrooms, utility rooms or closets—especially if you have kids. Using motion sensors in select spots does the work for you.
Motorize Shades to Moderate Temperatures.
Install motorized shades for blocking the afternoon sun in the summer or for preventing heat escape in the winter. Use a temperature sensor or set programming relative to current sunset, which reduces your cooling bill and increases comfort.
Run Ceiling Fans at the Right Times.
Ceiling fans can help circulate warm air and cool air, making your heating and cooling system work more efficiently. By automating fans, they can turn on and off at certain predetermined times of the day.
Set an “All Off Command.”
An “all off command” which can be sent from a keyboard, phone or tablet can tell an automation system to sweep through the house and turn off and adjust devices as needed. The closing of the front, the arming of the security system, or a signal from a motion sensor can also be programmed to trigger an “all off command.”
Get your home in shape to increase comfort and save energy with a Control4 automated home!
At Home System Solutions, we take pride in being Central Oregon’s leader in smart home automation, theater and entertainment. Let us help you make your dream home future-ready. Contact us by email or call 541-610-7915.