It’s getting hot out there, and you’re probably itching to hit the road. Have an older car? Rather than dropping a fortune on a new one, try these upgrades to revamp your ride.
You may not have enough money to travel by car or plane if you don’t get a handle on your bills. Energy prices are high and are expected to stay there for some time. Here are some clever tips to lower energy bills.
Smart thermostats
Smart thermostats know the outside weather, how long it takes for a room to reach a specific temperature and whether you’re away or home. Some even pair with your smart home assistant, so you can dictate the exact environment you want.
Switching your regular thermostat to a smart one will make your home feel more hi-tech and help cut energy costs. Check the settings for energy-saving features that will lower your bills even more.
Amazon’s Smart Thermostat is ENERGY STAR certified and easy to install. Alexa will guide you through installation and setup and then help you keep the temperature optimal. Click on the Check compatibility box on the product page to ensure your HVAC system is compatible with the device.
NOTE: You’ll only reap the benefits of a smart thermostat if you use it as directed. That is, set it and forget it. You’re defeating the purpose if you keep raising and lowering the temperature manually.
Smart sprinklers
When you think of summer, do you imagine green lawns? We sure do. You can’t have a healthy lawn without keeping it adequately watered. Doing it manually takes time, what with turning the sprinklers on every morning and off at night. Not to mention running outside to turn them off when it’s raining.
Automatic timers don’t help much since they can’t tell if it’s raining or sunny. And the timers with rain sensors aren’t very accurate.
Think of smart sprinkler controllers as a thermostat. They automatically water your lawn based on weather conditions and know the best time of day to get the most out of each session.
When you set up your smart controller, it connects to the internet to get local weather data. For example, the controller may skip the next cycle if enough rain has fallen. The system also checks forecasts to plan its watering schedule accordingly.
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