A YouTuber bought a $39,000 house on Amazon and made this unboxing video, which just hit 7.5 million views. The 26-year-old was not pleased when he realized he couldn’t plug in anything. You guessed it: He didn’t read the entire product description. “Please hire an electrician for American standard wiring.” D’oh.
AI-powered home gadgets that lower your bills
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Every time my energy bill arrives, I swear it looks more like a ransom note: “$412 or the AC gets it.”
But guess what? Some good (actually smart) tech can help liberate you from this hostage situation, with real savings.
Here’s your Kim-approved guide to the best smart home tech that pays for itself. And before you get all drama on me and whine, “Oh, these are so hard to install,” stop right there. They’re just not.
🌡️ Smart thermostats
If your thermostat isn’t smart yet, you’re literally throwing money out the window. Devices like the Google Nest Thermostat ($239.99, 14% off) or the ecobee SmartThermostat ($129.99) learn your schedule and automatically adjust the temperature when you’re out or asleep.
The average household saves about 10%-15% on heating and cooling bills; that’s up to $145 per year! Pays for itself.
Think of it like a pet that adjusts your AC instead of pooping in your closet.
💡 Smart lighting systems
Still flipping switches? Go smarter. Products like Philips Hue Smart Bulbs ($102.11, 24% off, three-pack) and the affordable Kasa Smart Bulbs ($29.99, 6% off, four-pack) use AI to optimize lighting, significantly cutting down energy use.
The bulbs automatically detect empty rooms and dim themselves, slashing up to $75 annually from your electricity bill.
🚿 Smart water monitors
Did you know a small leak can cost hundreds a year? A gadget like the Flume 2 Smart Water Monitor ($249) detects leaks instantly and tracks your water use in real time. For a cheaper pick, check out YoLink’s Hub Leak Detection Starter Kit ($54.99, 21% off).
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Electronic kits under $25 – Start making your own electronics today
Amazon
We’re surrounded by dozens of gadgets daily, yet many of us don’t know their inner workings. These mini electronics kits show you how to direct electricity, power your inventions and understand how electricity works in a practical setting. Beyond being a great learning experience and educational for kids (with proper supervision), they’re really fun to use. These are our favorites.
How Ford's electric F-150 will impact Mother Earth
If you’re wondering whether electric vehicles cause fewer greenhouse gasses, the answer is a resounding “Probably.” If you live in an area where most electricity is generated with fossil fuel, overall carbon emissions become a toss-up. Here’s the full story.
Wyoming’s AI power grab: A new, unnamed AI facility in Wyoming is about to use five times more electricity than the state’s human population. It’s starting at 1.8 GW and could hit 10, which is over 5x the power consumption of state households. OpenAI won’t confirm if it’s theirs. Everyone’s nervous. Wyoming’s like: Yeehaw, thanks for the revs.
Around 70%
Of people are polite to AI. The kicker? All those “pleases” and “thank yous” are adding up and costing OpenAI tens of millions of dollars in electricity. CEO Sam Altman doesn’t think it’s a bad thing, though. Why? Just in case there’s an AI uprising someday. Plus, being nice can get you better responses.
🎮 Check your kid’s gaming console: You can save electricity (and money) by changing the power-saving settings. On PS5, go to Settings > System > Power Saving. On Xbox Series X/S or One, go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Power options and select Shutdown (energy saver).
What happens when you overload a capacitor?
Capacitors are essential components that help regulate energy inside most complex electronics. But since they’re only able to handle a certain amount of electricity, what happens when they overload?
⚡ Watt the heck? Electricity prices rose 6.5% nationwide so far this year, and in some states, like Maine, they’re up a whopping 36%. Major culprit? Data centers. Their sky-high energy demands (thanks, AI) are hiking rates and triggering billion-dollar grid upgrades that we get to fund. Ohm my gosh!
Electrician army: AI isn’t just eating jobs, it’s eating power. Google just dropped a cool $10 million to train over 100,000 U.S. electricians, trying to unclog a grid bottleneck slowing its AI expansion. Data centers are guzzling so much electricity that they could triple U.S. power usage in three years.
Be positive, no matter watt: Scientists are on the verge of a major breakthrough: transmitting electricity wirelessly using microwaves, radio waves and lasers. The idea? Beam power to a satellite or antenna that converts it back into usable electricity, no wires needed.
⚡Elon Musk fake electricity scam: Fraudsters are sending out messages promising to cut your electric bill by 90% with a special gadget “invented by Elon Musk.” The phony message might even include your real name to seem legit and links to a sketchy site with domains like “esavrr, gimelove or eaelon” to buy it. Please don’t.