Save money with smart electrics
Smart electrics are increasingly being used in homes throughout the UK and around the world. With the flexibility of turning things on with a smartphone, watch, or our voices, it has never been so convenient to control and organise our electrical devices. Ultimately, smart electrical devices make daily tasks simpler and hassle-free.
The market is saturated with consumer products such as plugs and bulbs. These items are easily set up by anymore with Wi-Fi and a smartphone. But two common items that people need a little more help installing are smart light switches and sockets. As a domestic electrician operating in south Birmingham, I am often asked to install these devices and offer these two pieces of advice to people thinking about switching to smart devices.
1. Install smart light switches, not smart bulbs
Rather than buying smart light bulbs, why not have a smart light switch installed? Smart light bulbs are good and can do the job, but if you are operating multiple lights off one switch it can more beneficial to use a smart switch rather than smart bulbs. Although this may appear to be a greater expense, you will save money in the long run. When the life of the bulbs is over you only need to buy standard bulbs not smart ones. Over time, this is very cost-effective.
There are two main types of smart switches, ones that require a neutral wire and ones that don’t. Installing a smart switch can be a simple process but it’s always best to hire an electrician. I often get call-outs from customers who have attempted to install them themselves and have accidentally linked a neutral wire to a live wire, short-circuited their electrics, and blown a fuse!
2. Install smart sockets, not smart plugs
There are a lot of smart plugs on the market, but I have found that these can be bulky and protrude from the wall. The finish is very unattractive.
Why not have a smart socket installed so the smart functionally is built in the socket? They still function as a normal socket with a manual switch if you wish but can be turned on or off remotely for your smartphone.
If you are thinking of updating sockets in your home, you should consider requesting smart sockets as standard. Not only does it make life easier for you, but they are also an attractive feature to buyers if you intend to sell in the future.
3. And finally, install smart fused spurs
A fused spur is typically used to isolate a circuit from the mains supply. It is also quite common for them to be used on outside lights, some heaters, and outside sockets. When you are thinking of having a spur added to your house, consider using a smart fused spur.
A smart fused spur would give you more control over the exact timing of outside lights from your smartphone. This could be an outside light out the front or back garden or even the pond lights.
Depending upon the specs of a heater a smart fused spur can be used as a timer to operate the on/off function on a heater. This is handy if the heater doesn’t have a thermostat and you want to turn the heater on a few minutes before you are using the area. A prime example of this would be a towel rail.
If your property uses an immersion heater to heat your hot water then depending upon the specification a smart fused spur could be ideal to control heating up your hot water, this alone can be a money saver on energy bills.
Smart devices, smart savings
Ultimately, whichever product you decide to use, if it’s smart you will have greater control over your devices. This will definitely help you save money on your energy bills.
If you are thinking about installing smart sockets or smart switches in your home, don’t hesitate to give A Bathe Electrics a call. We look forward to hearing from you.
