Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Alexa can estimate how much electricity smart home devices consume

Patrick Hearn
By

A smart home is convenient, but is it energy-efficient? Alexa can now tell you. Today, Amazon rolled out a new feature called the Energy Dashboard. It shows the amount of energy consumed by Alexa-compatible smart home devices. Just open up the Alexa app to see how much energy is used by smart home devices connected to your Alexa system, including smart plugs, switches, water heaters, thermostats, and TVs.

The Energy Dashboard shows not only daily, but also weekly and monthly trends. It’s not the same as having an energy monitor installed in your home, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction to giving Alexa even more functionality than before.

Recommended Videos

In addition to the Energy Dashboard, Amazon also rolled out Guard Plus. This is a subscription service that extends the original features of Alexa Guard with a host of new features, including hands-free access to an Emergency Helpline. It also provides Smart Alerts that monitor for trouble within your home.

Here’s how it works. You ask Alexa to connect you to trained agents at the Emergency Helpline that can request the dispatch of medical, fire, or police based on the information you provide when you call. A more interesting feature is that Guard Plus can listen for specific sounds within your home — the sound of a broken window, a fire alarm, etc. It can play the sound of a siren in response or can trigger the sounds of dogs barking if outdoor motion sensors pick up activity.

Related

U.S.-based customers can sign up for a one-month free trial of Guard Plus, after which it is $5 per month or $50 per year.

The final feature Alexa introduced is called Proactive Hunches. Do you normally lock your door at a specific time? Alexa knows — and the smart assistant can lock your door for you if you forget. If you enable the feature, Alexa will be able to act on these “hunches” without permission and perform tasks like adjusting the thermostat, the hot water heater, and more.

With the introduction of more features like this, Amazon becomes more and more useful by the day. The Proactive Hunches feature in particular takes the smart assistant one step closer toward the smart home most people dream of.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Patrick Hearn
Patrick Hearn
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…
Can Alexa call 911? How to set up Alexa for emergencies

If you've got an Alexa in your home, you can use it for more than just alarms and playing music. The device can help out in an emergency, allowing you to get in contact with help if there's an unexpected crisis. In 2023, Amazon announced it was adding an Emergency Assist feature to the device, which is a paid service to help a user connect to an agent who will call 911 for them. The device can't call 911 directly, but it can put you in touch with someone who can call on your behalf and give out key information to emergency responders.

If you don't want to try Emergency Assist, you can also try setting up an Echo Connect box to your landline (if you can find one, as these products are no longer available) to call for you, or using an Alexa skill like Ask My Buddy. There are also other security features you might want to try out on your Alexa like Alexa Together, a subscription for assistance for older adults.
Set up Alexa Emergency Assist

Read more
Echo Show 8 vs. Echo Show 10: is the bigger device a better smart display?
The Echo Show 10 on a kitchen counter.

Amazon has an impressive roster of smart displays, but few are as popular as the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 10. The Echo Show 8 is now on its third generation, offering an HD display and a small footprint that's great for most homes. The Echo Show 10 is also on its third generation -- though it's much larger than its sibling and comes with a few exclusive features.

But is the bigger smart display better? Both products share much of their spec sheets, and it's not immediately evident that the Echo Show 10 does enough to deserve its hefty price. Here's a look at the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 10 to help you determine which is best for your needs.
Pricing and design

Read more
What is IFTTT and how can you use it in your smart home?
A bunch of colorful shapes on a black background.

If you've spent any time shopping for smart home gadgets, you've probably noticed that many are built with support for Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Home. These are smart home platforms, and they let you access all your devices through a single app or interface. You've probably also noticed support for something known as IFTTT. But what exactly is IFTTT? And is it something you should be concerned with? Here's a closer look at the unique (and incredibly useful) software.
What is IFTTT?

IFTTT stands for, "if this, then that." It's terminology often used in programming, allowing software to chain together functions and perform certain tasks if other tasks are detected. For example, if the user inputs the incorrect password, then they'll be notified to try logging in again.

Read more