Complete Guide
Smart Home Energy Savings Guide
Where smart home devices actually save meaningful money on energy, versus where they're mostly convenience — starting with thermostats and plugs.
Not every smart home device pays for itself in energy savings — some are worth buying for convenience alone. Sorting out which ones actually move your bill is the difference between a good first purchase and a drawer full of unused hardware.
Smart thermostats: real savings, with real conditions attached
A smart thermostat's savings come almost entirely from its setback schedule — letting temperature drift a few degrees while no one's home or everyone's asleep, then recovering automatically. Households that already run a manual setback schedule consistently see smaller gains from switching. Our smart thermostat savings guide covers what the data actually shows.
Smart plugs solve a different problem than smart thermostats
Smart plugs target phantom load — the standby power idle electronics draw even when "off" — rather than HVAC scheduling. Our smart plugs vs. smart thermostats guide covers which one to prioritize first based on what's actually driving your bill.
Phantom load, quantified
Before buying smart plugs to chase phantom load, it's worth knowing how much it typically adds up to. Our phantom load explainer breaks down where standby power actually comes from and how much a typical household can expect to reclaim.
Estimate the combined effect
Use our Home Energy Savings Calculator to see how thermostat setbacks and reduced standby load add up together rather than evaluating each device in isolation.