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

Top ways smart tech can save Thanksgiving dinner

Erin Lawrence
By
Topics
Erin Lawrence
Erin Lawrence
Erin has over 20 years of experience as a journalist in the media and news industries, with time both on camera and behind…
Rachio debuts affordable, water-saving smart hose timer at CES 2023
The Rachio Smart Hose Timer installed on an outdoor spigot.

Installing a smart sprinkler in your yard is a great way to cut down on water waste and lower your utility bills -- but it’s also a pricey (and time-consuming) investment. Rachio is looking to change that, as the company debuted a $99 smart hose timer at CES 2023.

The gadget is surprisingly simple, yet offers impressive versatility. After attaching the smart valve to your existing outdoor spigot, you’ll be able to monitor your water usage, create watering schedules, and use the Rachio app to get detailed stats about how much water you’re saving. And since it connects to your network via Wi-Fi, you can schedule a watering or check its status regardless of where you are.

Read more
How smart water management can protect against damage and save money
Roost Smart Water and Freeze Detector

The world of smart home plumbing is still relatively small, but the benefits of hooking up your home's pipes with sensors can save you loads on repairs by catching leaks early. Managing your water usage can be vital if you're living in a drought-prone area, while smart water heating can save a few bucks on your monthly bills, too. Let's take a look at some of the smart home water management system types available, and what they can do for you.
Smart leak sensors

Water leaks account for 10,000 gallons of lost water each year per home. About 10% of homes leak more than 90 gallons a day, adding up to a whopping one trillion gallons of leaked water nationwide each year. It's a big problem, but highly fixable. For starters, it's easy to get into smart leak sensors and use them in your home. There are a couple of ways these can work.

Read more
Smart ways to save on your utility bills during the holidays
Twinkly smart lights set up around Christmas tree.

Once the holidays swing into full gear, you'll be pretty busy. There are plenty of meals to cook, visitors to entertain, and lights to fire up. Keeping your home utility bills under wraps during this time can be a bit of a challenge, but with a few changes to your smart home, you can squirrel away a few extra dollar bills and put them towards your gift shopping instead.
Update your smart thermostat schedule

You may be home more often close to the holidays, so it's worth going into your smart thermostat's settings to manually set schedules based on when you're planning on being in the house. Doing this allows the algorithm to maintain an efficient home heating plan even though you're changing up the routine that it's come to expect. Conversely, if you're getting out of town for the holidays, it's helpful to keep your smart thermostat informed so the furnace isn't blasting while you're away. Take a gander at some of the settings you'll want to change.
Switch to LED bulbs

Read more