With the effects of climate change in full swing, more and more people are getting conscious about the choices they make in their day-to-day lives. Because of our desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions wherever and whenever possible, we can clearly see a transformation currently happening in the spaces we move in—cities, hotels, restaurants, and even in our own humble homes.

While one may think that technology will only double energy consumption and be a waste of investment, the complete opposite is true. The beauty of technology is that it is a long-term solution rather than a short-term fix.

Let’s take a look at how your home can be more sustainable for yourself, your family, and the environment with smart technology.

Let There Be More Efficient Light!

If you’re thinking about remodeling your kitchen or other parts of your home, don’t forget to put installing energy-efficient light bulbs on your list. Light is one of those things that seem harmless but is actually a big contributor to the carbon footprint of our homes. In fact, 17% of energy wastage is caused solely by lighting.

Investing in smart lights just means you don’t have to worry if you’ve forgotten to turn off your lights. Much like our appliances, you can simply shut them off from your smartphone—better for the planet, better for your wallet. When you have everything in your home accessible on a device you can carry with you, these problems wouldn’t be as much of a headache as they were before.

Make sure to maximize your smart lights. These devices allow you to adjust the brightness based on a specific room or your preferences. You can even modify their dimness to fit a certain event like a special occasion or a dinner party.

Keep in mind that lights don’t need to operate at 100% all of the time. At 80%, you wouldn’t even notice any difference. What you will observe, though, is the positive change in your energy bill.

Don’t Let Energy Go To Waste

You can’t reduce your energy consumption without first knowing just how much energy you are using and on what appliance. TVs, computers, and video game consoles draw a lot of energy when left on standby.

Figure out where all of this energy is going and if it’s being used efficiently with smart meters and smart power strips. These devices can help you monitor this on a regular basis, giving you and your energy provider detailed information about your energy use.

In terms of temperature control, smart thermostats can reduce wasted energy on heating and cooling. These two take a huge toll on our planet, but with technology in place, you can set up your systems to actively pump heat or cool air only when someone is present in your home.

This saves you more energy and more money—and that is what’s so great about smart technology. You don’t need a complete overhaul of your living room, bedrooms, basement, or any other part of your house to make it sustainable. These devices can do that for you! Just tap on the handy app linked to your device and you can shut off your heating and cooling even if you’ve already left for work.

Water Savers

If all households in the U.S. installed some kind of water-saving feature, water use would decrease by 30%. By caring more about our water consumption, we can save an estimated 5.4 billion gallons per day. As many predict water resources will be in short supply soon enough, it’s about time we make a difference.

For the outside of your home, look into installing smart irrigation systems. This will help you in automating watering based on weather conditions, allowing you to adjust the schedule as the seasons change so that your plants will still get the perfect amount of water that they need without worrying about wastage.

Aside from your lawn or your garden, you can also save water in your bathrooms. Try switching out your showerhead to a smart version of it. Some of these smart showerheads help in reducing the flow of the water. They also measure your water consumption through an app that alerts you about the volume of water you’ve used.

Leaks are another source of headache and water wastage. To address this, you can consider installing a water-leak detector device that monitors the flow, temperature, and pressure of water used all over your property to make sure that there aren’t any leaks.

Better Home With Better Windows

Futuristic blinds don’t just make your house look cool. Though windows might be the last thing on your mind when it comes to combating climate change, they actually have a huge cooling or heating effect on your indoor temperature.

That’s where smart window treatments come in. These devices help in minimizing the amount of energy your HVAC system is using by keeping your home warm during the winter and cooling it once summer arrives.

You can program these window shades or blinds to close during the hottest part of the day. Alternatively, if you’re trying to make a cold house warmer without running the heat, you can set the shades to open during the day. Creating a smart home isn’t easy—there will be a lot of investing and research involved that will take up a lot of your time. However, it will all be worth it in the end. Not only will you be simplifying your life and saving money, but you will also be doing your part in helping combat climate change.