Hi guys, I thought I would open this discussion to get your opinions on this topic.
As I’ve been going over our “smart home” installation lately, it occurred to me if it really helps save energy in any way. When you see advertisements of smart home devices, you always read about “energy saver”, “helps save energy”, etc… But if I include the resource consumption for additional sensors and devices, the energy consumption of a home server + batteries, etc. in the calculation, I’m not sure how big the energy advantage is compared to a “dumb home”.
For me personally, e.g. smart radiator thermostats are the biggest nonsense, which is always sold as energy savers. Until recently, I had also a few of them in use, but since normal radiator thermostats, at least here in Germany, have a mechanical/chemical temperature sensor that locks off at a certain level and temperature, they seem kind of useless to me. + That they need new batteries every year and the change in room temperature usually reacts too sluggishly, as you could really control it in the short term.
I have also done some research, but so far I have not been able to find any studies that would really prove the energy savings from a smart home installation.
Therefore, I would be interested here once your opinion. Is a smart home really an energy saver for you, or does it also mean more of a playground and more comfort for you?