The government has launched a series of economic measures to deal with the race to rise in energy prices. Aid to lighten bills has avoided bloodletting, neutralizing increases in the order of 45% for gas and 15% for the electricity component. However, despite this containment action, the impact of expensive energy is evident on the costs incurred by users. The data of theHe is nurturingthe Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment, show that the expenditure for the typical household between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022 will be approximately 1071 euros for electricity bill, that is 91% more than in the equivalent 12 months of the previous year. Similar speech for the gas: the bill of the typical family will be approximately 1,696 euros, thus reporting an increase of 70.7% compared to the period October 2020 – September 2021. Hence the importance of a more rational and conscious use of resources, which can help tackle the price storm and contain price hikes. A smart homeequipped with devices of home automationmore efficient appliances, electrical sockets and remotely manageable LED bulbs, it allows you to save around 200 euros a year on bills. To say it is an investigation bySOStariffe.it and Segugio.it Observatory (which Repubblica is able to anticipate), which has calculated when it can set aside a family living in a smart apartment.
The technology eliminates a lot of waste that is often overlooked: incorrect use of the heating or air conditioner, appliances in stand-by that weigh 8% of total electricity consumption in a year, the phone charger always inserted are just a few examples. These are accompanied by the failure to program the switching on of the washing machine, dryer or dishwasher in the time slots in which energy costs less, provided that you rely on a multi-hour tariff for energy.
The savings
The study took into consideration the case of a typical family with annual consumption of 2,700 kWh of electricity and 1,400 Smc of natural gas, which activates the most convenient electricity and gas tariffs currently available on the Free Market, in order to minimize the amount. of bills. The smart home devices allow you to have full remote control of household appliances, ensuring optimal management of the use of energy and a 9% cut in the share of bills linked to actual consumption. The savings would therefore be 200 euros in the hypothesis of switching to the best rates of the Free Market, the authors of the research underline, noting that by remaining in the Protected Market, the savings would be greater.
More specifically, a thermostat for the gas boiler connected to the internet and managed remotely, it saves money 76 euros every year: the instrument, in fact, thanks to the programming of the operating times, avoids 100 hours of unnecessary use of the boiler, cutting consumption by 5%. Another valuable help comes from smart electrical outlets which can be remotely controlled: when the appliances are not used, the sockets disconnect from the power supply, avoiding unnecessary consumption related to stand-by. This way you can save money 61 euros every year.
Still, it is possible to save money even with a smarter use of the lighting system. A smart bulb, which works with low consumption LED technology, can be customized and remotely controlled with a dedicated app or with ad hoc voice assistants. By programming the ignition times, unnecessary waste is avoided: with a set of 10 10 W light bulbs, the savings are 9 euros a year. The same principle applies to i conditioners, which in this period weigh on the bill especially for those who work in smart working: temperatures in fact reach the maximum values during the central hours of the day and it is precisely in these moments that domestic air conditioning is most used. A smart air conditioner can be activated and deactivated through an application: considering that the average consumption is 0.8 KWh per hour, by avoiding 100 hours of waste, 80 KWh is saved, reducing the annual cost of 22 euro.
In general, the ability to remotely control household appliances and set switching on and off according to the cheapest time slots (such as evenings and weekends) lightens the bill. This applies, for example, to dishwashers, washing machines and dryers: a behavior that allows a reduction in annual energy costs of 32 euro.