Saving heating costs starts with simple rules that we’ve all heard before:  

1. Keep the windows closed when the heating is on. 

2. Turn the heating down when airing out rooms.  

3. Avoid unnecessary heating at night or when you’re not home.  

It’s all really very easy. However, these rules also mean that after a holiday you’ll return to a chilly home, or you’ll freeze when you get out of the shower in the morning and the heating is still warming up. But don’t worry: smart thermostats such as tado° are the solution to this problem. They allow you to reduce your heating costs by up to 30 per cent without compromising on comfort. In the future, you can control your heating when you’re not home using an app or by setting routines. So your home is warm and cosy when you get up in the morning and return home in the evening – exactly when you need it to be and without wasting any energy at all. A clever feature is that the smart thermostats can track your location and know when you’re not home. This function automatically regulates the heating without you having to lift a finger. Doesn’t that sound practical? 

Blinds also impact the room climate and can help save energy. Along with a time-switch function and brightness sensors, systems such as the Gira KNX weather station help optimise automated functions. During the colder months of the year, for example, the smart blinds are raised automatically when the sun is in a suitable position and let warmth in through the windows. By dusk at the latest, the blinds are lowered again to prevent the living space from cooling down overnight. 

This function also helps save energy in summer as well by lowering the blinds to keep the heat out well before the sun can heat up your room – ensuring temperature indoors remain pleasant.  

Plenty of savings can also be made when it comes to electricity. 10 per cent of the power we consume is used for lighting alone – which all too often we forget to switch off. Appliances with standby mode also offer plenty of potential, because even when you think they’re turned off, they’re still consuming quite a lot of electricity. Smart socket outlets provide a solution: by combining them in a central network, entire groups of appliances can be disconnected from the mains with one single touch of a button using a smart central control unit such as the Gira HomeServer.  
Other functions provided by the Gira HomeServer also make an impression. For example, the unit visualises your energy consumption in clearly structured diagrams and uses a yellow and red traffic light display to alert you when consumption has increased significantly compared to the previous year. It also identifies potential for saving energy in your home, making it easy to optimise your gas, water and electricity consumption. Clever energy management in the Smart Home really can be this easy. 

What are referred to as ‘smart grids’ are enjoying increasing significance. An ingenious network linking power generators and consumers ensures an individual response to every supply situation. So when there is excess power, you can do your washing at lower prices, for example, or maybe recharge your home battery system – which will, in turn, have benefits if there are any supply shortfalls.