5 Smart Home Gadgets for Smart Home Energy Savings
- Mee energy
- Oct 5
- 7 min read
Energy bills are a big concern for UK homeowners, but smart technology can help lighten the load. In this article, we’ll introduce five smart home gadgets that can cut your energy costs. Each device saves energy on its own, and we’ll also show how they all work together for even bigger savings. No technical jargon here – just simple tips for lowering your bills with smart home upgrades!
1. Smart Plugs – Stop Wasting Standby Power
Smart plugs are an easy plug-and-play upgrade that can instantly make your home more efficient. They fit between the wall socket and your appliance, giving you control over power usage via an app or voice assistant. Instead of leaving devices idling all day, you can switch them off remotely or on a schedule. Key benefits of smart plugs include:
Eliminate “vampire” drain: Many electronics (TVs, game consoles, chargers) draw power in standby mode. Smart plugs cut this phantom load by turning devices completely off when not in use.
Schedule for savings: You can set timers or routines. For example, automatically turn off the kids’ gaming console at bedtime, or run your dishwasher late at night during off-peak electricity hours.
Monitor appliance usage: Some smart plugs track energy consumption per device. This helps you spot power-hungry gadgets and adjust usage to save money.
With smart plugs, you get more control over every socket. It’s a small change that can add up to noticeable savings on your bill.
2. Solar Panels – Generate Free Electricity from Sunlight
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels let you produce your own clean, free electricity right at home. Modern solar panels sit on your roof and convert sunlight into power you can use for lights, appliances, and more. While the UK isn’t always sunny, solar panels still generate a surprising amount of energy even on cloudy days. Here’s why solar PV is great for cutting costs:
Slash daytime energy costs: Whenever the sun is shining, your home can run on free solar power instead of expensive grid electricity. This greatly reduces your daytime energy charges.
Sell back extra energy: If your panels make more power than you need, the excess can feed into the grid. Many UK energy companies offer credits or payments for this surplus (through schemes like the Smart Export Guarantee), effectively lowering your bill.
Long-term payoff: Solar panels have up-front costs, but they last 25+ years. Over time, the energy savings often pay back the investment and then some, all while shrinking your carbon footprint.
By generating your own renewable power, you become less reliant on the grid. That means protection against future price hikes and a greener, cheaper energy supply for your home.
3. Home Battery Storage – Use Solar Energy Day and Night
A home battery (such as GivEnergy, Sonnen, or LG Chem systems) stores electricity so you can use it when it benefits you most. If you have solar panels, a battery lets you save excess solar energy produced in the daytime and use it after dark – effectively stretching your free solar power into the evening. Even without solar, batteries can charge from the grid when electricity is cheap (like overnight) and discharge when rates are high. Key advantages of battery storage:
Maximise solar self-use: Instead of sending surplus midday solar to the grid, a battery will store that energy. You can then cook dinner or run the washing machine at night on stored solar power, cutting your peak-time grid use to zero.
Avoid peak rates: With time-of-use tariffs becoming common in the UK, electricity costs much more at peak hours. A smart battery can charge up during off-peak low-rate periods (or using solar) and discharge during expensive peak periods. This means you buy less power when it’s priciest.
Backup power: In case of a power cut, your battery can keep the lights and Wi-Fi on (or even run essentials like the fridge). This isn’t an everyday savings benefit, but it gives peace of mind and potential value during outages.
By adding a battery to your setup, you gain flexibility. You’ll use more of your own cheap energy and draw much less from the grid at costly times. It’s a one-two punch when paired with solar panels.
4. Smart Immersion Heater Controller – Heat Water with Surplus Solar
If you have a hot water tank (cylinder) with an electric immersion heater, this gadget is a genius money-saver. A smart immersion heater controller (often called a solar diverter) automatically directs excess solar electricity to heat your water. Essentially, whenever your solar panels are generating more power than your home is using, that extra energy doesn’t go to waste – it heats up your hot water tank for free. Here’s how it helps:
Cut gas or electric bills for hot water: Every unit of solar energy diverted to your immersion heater is a unit of gas or mains electricity you don’t have to pay for to heat water. Over a year, this can significantly reduce your heating bill (especially if you have an older gas boiler or an electric water heater).
Automatic and seamless: The controller senses when your solar panels are exporting power and instantly switches on the immersion heater to soak up that excess. It won’t affect your appliances – it only uses spare power you weren’t consuming anyway. You simply end up with a tank of hot water heated by the sun.
Less boiler usage: By topping up your hot water with solar, your boiler or heating system doesn’t need to run as often. That not only saves fuel costs, but also prolongs the life of your boiler through less wear and tear.
For UK homes with solar panels and a hot water tank, a diverter is a no-brainer addition. It’s a small box that quietly works in the background, turning sunshine into free hot showers and helping you make the most of every ray of sun.
5. Smart EV Chargers – Charge Your Car Cheaper and Greener
Electric vehicles are growing in popularity, and if you have (or plan to get) an EV, a smart charger is a must for energy savings. Unlike a standard charging cable, a smart EV charger (like Wallbox, Simpson & Partners, Hypervolt, or Ohme units) lets you schedule and control charging to be as economical as possible. Charging an EV draws a lot of power, so doing it smartly can mean big savings:
Use off-peak electricity: A smart charger can be programmed to charge your car during off-peak hours when electricity is much cheaper. For example, you could charge overnight on a low tariff (some UK plans offer super-cheap rates after midnight). You’ll wake up to a full battery at a fraction of the cost.
Soak up solar power: If you have solar panels, certain smart chargers can sync with your solar production. They will prioritise using surplus solar to charge the car during the day. This means your car effectively runs on sunshine (free fuel!), and you draw little or nothing from the grid while charging.
App control and insights: Like other smart devices, these chargers come with apps. You can start, stop, or schedule charges from your phone, monitor how much energy your car used, and even integrate with home energy systems to know when to charge. It’s convenient and ensures you’re always charging in the cheapest, greenest way.
Charging an EV at home already costs far less than filling a petrol car, and a smart charger pushes those savings even higher. Plus, you’re reducing strain on the grid at peak times by cleverly timing your charges.
How These Devices Work Together for Smart Home Energy Savings
Individually, each of the above gadgets will chip away at your energy bills – but the real magic happens when you use them together as a system. Think of your home as an energy ecosystem: generation, storage, usage, and management all connect. Here’s what an integrated smart home setup can do:
During a sunny day, your solar panels are cranking out electricity. Your home battery charges up for later, and once the battery is full, the immersion controller automatically diverts extra power to heat water. No sunshine is wasted – it all goes toward useful purposes in your home.
Meanwhile, your smart plugs might switch on the washing machine or dishwasher at midday to take advantage of free solar electricity, or they stay off during peak pricing, depending on the scenario. You don’t have to lift a finger or remember a schedule – your smart home system optimises it for you.
If you have an EV, your smart charger will wait until cheap night rates or ample solar output to juice up the car. It may even pause charging if a peak rate window starts, then resume later when costs drop. You’ll always get the cheapest charge automatically.
Tying it all together is where Mee Energy comes in. Mee Sync – Mee’s smart energy management service – acts like the conductor for this orchestra of devices. It monitors your solar production, battery level, and home energy use in real time, then automatically makes the best decisions:
Automatic tariff switching: Mee Sync keeps an eye on energy prices and can switch you to the best energy tarifffor your usage, ensuring you’re always paying the lowest rate. Mee Sync
Smart sell-back to the grid: If you consistently generate more solar power than you use, Mee ensures any extra is sold back to the grid at advantageous times, turning your surplus into extra savings.
Real-time monitoring: With the Mee app, you get a live window into your home’s performance – how much you’re generating, using, and saving. It’s satisfying to watch your smart home energy savings grow in real time!
Ongoing aftercare: Mee doesn’t just set up your tech and disappear. The Mee Sync service provides proactive maintenance and support, keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes. You get peace of mind that your system is always optimised and any hiccups will be handled.
In short, Mee Sync connects all your gadgets into one intelligent network. Your solar, battery, heating, and devices no longer work in isolation – they actively coordinate with each other. The result is a home that’s constantly looking out for your wallet: reducing waste, buying energy cheap, using free energy first, and never missing an opportunity to save.
Ready to take control of your energy? With Mee Energy’s solutions, you can mix and match the upgrades that fit your home and budget – and let Mee tie them together into a seamless, money-saving system. Lower bills and a greener home can go hand in hand. Take the next step toward a smarter, more efficient home by exploring Mee’s offerings today!
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