Smart lights are all the rage these days. With affordable and blazing fast internet packages available to all residents in the USA, it is no surprise that people are rigorously switching to smart home devices. You must be equipped with one of the most generous AT&T Internet plans to make the most out of smart home devices. And to be fair, there are so many benefits that smart home devices bring to the table.
Similarly, smart lights offer energy efficiency to their users. So who would want to miss out on that? Here is everything you need to know about smart lights and energy efficiency!
How Are Smart Lights Energy-Efficient?
Smart lights are one of the most recent technological advances that have impacted our lives significantly. These lights are packed with specs and features that guarantee a smooth and seamless experience. For example, all smart lights come with mobile apps that users can use to remotely control the lights. The app contains functions like dimming the lights, changing the tone of the lights (warm, white, etc.), and switching them on and off. You can use the smart lights to synchronize your whole home’s smart devices and use the gifts even as smart home hubs.
Some of the best smart lights also come with voice control features, enabling you to make changes to the light modes or control their brightness just through voice commands. At night, when you are all comfortable in bed and realize that porch lights are still on, smart lights make your life easy. Even when you are away for vacation, your house’s lighting can be controlled, and you can make sure that they don’t stay on for too long. Consequently, you can save on your monthly electricity bills significantly.
If you invest generously in market-leading smart lights such as the Philips Hue lighting system, you might end up with the most energy-efficient lighting system of all time. The Philips Hue LED Bulbs are available in 2 power variants, including 65 and 75 watts. The lights are Energy Star Certified, and are meant to last for more than 20 years! If this is not energy efficient, then what is!
Features like brightness control and more controlled usage of the lights make them energy efficient. But you also must keep in mind that most smart lighting systems are LED lights, which are energy efficient by nature. Secondly, these advanced lights are heavily tested to match international standards and attain certifications from authorities like Energy Star. As a result, you get the most power-efficient lighting system for your home and save some extra bucks on your monthly bills.
What to Look for When Buying the Best Smart Lights for Your Home?
This must be kept in mind that not all smart lights are going to fit your household needs. There are several important factors that need to be considered, so you don’t end up investing in an incompetent set of smart lights. Here is what you need to be wary of:
- Power ratings
Of course, the most basic feature you need to look for is the power rating. This is the same as regular halogen or fluorescent bulbs that do not connect to the internet. The smart bulbs and their power ratings range between 8 and 10 watts or power equivalent to about 70 watts. You need to be aware of the fact that smart bulbs or smart lights come with extra brightness settings, which makes even 13-watt smart bulbs equivalent to a much higher power rating than regular lights.
- App interface
Smart lights are nothing without innovative mobile apps. Without the apps, forget anything about scheduling on and off time for your lights, or remotely controlling your lights when you are on vacation. You can check the details of the product online, and find several screenshots of the apps that accompany these lights. The interface must be neat and clean, easy to navigate, and should be compatible with various mobile OS such as iPhone and Android OS. Some smart lights that also have RGB modes tend to have a complex system for choosing the color of the lights. User-friendly apps come with an interesting color wheel that lets you choose absolutely any color from the RGB range. Of course, customer reviews in this matter will help you a lot, as the reviews will tell truthfully how easy or difficult the app interface is.
- Voice assistant
There is not one universal voice assistant that all smart devices come built-in with. This applies to smart lights as well. You must inquire about what voice assistant the smart lights are compatible with, and whether you have the required system or not. For example, if you already have the Google Nest Hub, you must invest in smart lights that are compatible with Google Voice Assistant. To use this, you need to have a fast and reliable internet, we recommend our readers to go through Hawaiiantel Internet Bundles.
- Lifespan
Last, but not the least, lifespan. Smart lights are still relatively new in the market. This means that the lights are not being as rigorously used by people as compared to the regular lights. Resultantly, the cost of these smart lighting systems is much more than the non-smart ones. If you are investing a significant sum of money in these lights, you need to ensure that you don’t have to make repeated purchases. That’s why ask the manufacturer or the retailer of the lights about the lifespan of the lights. Usually, all good and reliable brands define the lifespan by giving you a particular number of hours that the lights can last for ideally, smart lights last between 15,000 to 22,000 hours, which is around 3 years. Smart lights have a much longer lifespan than regular bulbs.
A Sum Up!
We think it is fair to say that the long lifespan of smart lights and their customizability make them more energy-efficient regular lights we have been using till now. You must make the switch to smart lights if you need different lighting for different moods, or just simply want to save some money every month. Philips, Wyze, and IKEA have some best smart lights and bulbs that you might want to check out!
