A More Efficient Home: How Smart Devices are Helping Make Greener Houses

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

Photo by R ARCHITECTURE on Unsplash

The smart home industry is worth $80 billion, according to the research firm Mordor Intelligence, and is expected to grow to upwards of $314 billion by 2026. The devices that increasingly fill homes are transforming lives. It is an exciting time for the industry.

Most people think of these devices as a matter of convenience. They exist to make our lives easier. Forgot how to convert tablespoons to cups? Just ask Amazon’s AMZN Alexa. Neglect to lock the door after leaving the house? Use a smartphone app to lock the door remotely. These awesome additions enrich lives, to be sure. But perhaps a more important, and often underappreciated, benefit of smart homes is sustainability.

The Thermostat

One of the highest-profile smart home devices with major energy-saving potential is Google’s GOOGL Nest. Nest replaces a normal thermostat and manages the home’s heating and cooling. It can be controlled remotely using a smartphone or integrated with a device like Google Home. 

But the really exciting part is that Nest learns from the consumer. It gets to know likes and dislikes and can then adjust the temperature in the home throughout the day to balance comfort and efficiency. The company estimates it can save 10% on heating and 15% on cooling. That means less gas and less electricity.

Windows (Not the Microsoft Kind)

A major missed opportunity in energy savings in most households is whether window blinds are open or closed when the sun is hitting exposed windows. Windows are one of the weak points in a home’s insulation. During the summer, when the sun is shining through a window, the AC has to do double duty to compensate. And in the winter, if the blinds are closed when it is sunny, the house could be missing out on free heating.

The U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy points out that about 30% of a home's heating energy is lost through windows. In cooling seasons, about 76% of the sunlight that falls on standard double-pane windows enters to become heat.  Window coverings, when used regularly, can reduce energy loss and lower energy bills.

RYSE has a line of products soon to be released that address this issue. They can be installed on traditional blinds, attaching to the already existing cord. You can then use a smartphone or a device like Apple AAPL HomePod to control them remotely. The truth is most people tend not to take the trouble to adjust their blinds, especially in rooms they’re not currently in. RYSE’s products open and close your blinds according to the schedule you set in order to maximize energy efficiency.

The future of home automation is bright. The industry could be set to explode. So many great products are right around the corner that will help minimize negative impact on the environment — and it’s never been more critical. Additionally, RYSE is currently raising capital via an SEC-qualified Regulation A+ and you can learn more and even invest in the company and its innovative technology right here.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.