Cooperative Living November/December 2021 - 25

SmartConnect | by Sydney Roberts, Ph.D., Contributing Columnist
Holiday Gifts
That Keep Giving
Energy-efficient technologies
can be fun and useful
M
any of us are looking forward to the holidays
and sharing cheer with friends and family. If you
are searching for unique gift ideas, I have a few
suggestions that are sure to delight your loved ones, enhance
their quality of life and probably save them a few bucks
along the way.
Everyone is looking for ways to make life easier, reduce
stress and take items off of their to-do list. Fortunately,
several smart home products fit the bill, especially for homes
with Wi-Fi.
SMART THERMOSTATS
Believe it or not, smart thermostats
make great gifts. An Energy Starcertified
smart thermostat will keep
your loved ones comfortable, while
saving on their energy costs for
heating and cooling. The really smart
part is that the devices can be enabled
to do all the work. You can feel great
that your gift is benefitting the
recipient, as well as the planet, for
years to come by reducing energy
consumption and greenhouse gas
emissions.
Some features to consider when
purchasing a smart thermostat:
The app: Choose a thermostat
that includes a smartphone app, so
that it can be controlled even when
people are away from home.
Occupancy sensing:
Manufacturers use various technologies
to determine when you
are home or away and to adjust the
temperature based on occupancy
to get additional savings. Some use
thermostat-based occupancy sensors,
while others use geofencing with
smartphones. Choose a thermostat
that uses a technology that will work
best with the recipient's lifestyle.
Voice assistant: If smart-speaker
voice assistants are used in the home,
like Amazon Alexa or Google Home,
you may want to choose a thermostat
co-opliving.com
that integrates with that platform.
Compatibility: Of course, the
thermostat must be compatible with
the home's existing HVAC system.
Many manufacturers have sites online
to check compatibility prior to the
purchase.
SMART BULBS
Who wouldn't want a lighting
solution that provides security with
built-in technology to automatically
randomize on and off times when in
vacation mode? How about a bulb
with adjustable preset colors for
Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa,
Easter and the Fourth of July? These
features and more are available in
smart bulbs that cost less than $15.
Like smart thermostats, many
smart bulbs integrate with voice
assistants, as well as other control
methods such as IFTTT (If This,
Then That), a software platform that
lets you connect many different apps
and devices. For instance, having
the lights come on when you unlock
the front door (with a smart lock).
Smart bulbs offer a wide range of
white light, from warm to cool, as
well as an infinite rainbow of color
choices, most controlled by a
smartphone app. You can dim the
lights for a romantic dinner one night
and then set them to your alma
mater's colors for game night the next.
At this price point, smart lightbulbs
make great, small gifts.
LED LIGHTING
There has never been a better time
to upgrade your holiday lighting to
LED. If you go all out with a holiday
light display using older incandescent
lights, you might find an unhappy
surprise on your January electricity
bill. Older holiday lights can cost
$100 per month or more to use.
LEDs provide 80% to 90% savings
and last as long as 10 years. LEDs come
in a wider range of colors and generate
less heat, so they are considered safer.
In addition to upgrading the lights, use
smart plugs to set on and off schedules,
so that you and your neighbors can
enjoy the show without keeping them
on all night.
Energy-efficiency smart home
technologies make fun and thoughtful
gifts for your friends, family and for
yourself. Enjoy the holiday season
knowing that your gifts will keep on
giving delight and savings for years
to come. 
Sydney Roberts is the director of technology
at Apogee Interactive Inc., which works
with many Virginia and Maryland electric
cooperatives on energy analysis and
member satisfaction.
November-December 2021 | Cooperative Living | 23
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living November/December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living November/December 2021
