Samsung has just announced its latest addition to the SmartThings app; SmartThings Energy. With this new service, consumers can monitor and better understand their energy consumption as well as set themselves targets to reduce how much energy they're using — and lower their monthly bills in the process.
The SmartThings app — via a SmartThings smart home hub — connects smart devices around the home to your smartphone. It’s compatible with hundreds of products from lights to cameras and locks and enables you to control all of them from your phone. With SmartThings Energy, you can now connect to Samsung appliances and HVAC systems, such as the dishwasher or oven, and monitor exactly how much energy you use on a daily basis.
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The app offers monitoring, target-setting and notifications from compatible appliances. It provides a real-time view of energy consumption data and cost estimates. This can help to address any high-consumption appliances around the home, such as air conditioners. It can also be useful if you leave anything switched on when you’re out of the house.
On the app, you can view all of your connected appliances, either collectively or individually, and you can compare your energy use to your set targets. You can even compare usage to the previous month to track your progress. The app can display your energy use in charts to break down any trends, helping consumers discover and better understand their consumption data. It even recommends energy saving tips based on what appliances you have at home and alerts you when you’re using too much energy.
“People are spending more time at home and using their appliances more frequently, driving a need for larger capacity and better energy efficiency,” said Chanwoo Park, Vice President and Head of IoT Business group at Samsung Electronics. “Our consumers want to be part of building a better, more eco-friendly tomorrow, and we are proud to help them achieve that vision by offering a more energy-efficient smart home experience.”
Samsung has previously taken steps to be more sustainable by offering Energy Star Certified appliances, which must reach a certain standard of energy efficiency. Recently, Samsung also expanded its Galaxy Upcycling Program with Galaxy Upcycling at Home which allowed consumers to repurpose Galaxy Smartphones into smart home devices. SmartThings Energy is Samsung’s latest sustainable announcement and it’s good to see the company striving to be more green. It's also a nice addition to what we consider to be the best smart home hub.
“We hope to build a suite of new advanced features to generate more savings for SmartThings users,” said Park. “By combining the analytical features of SmartThings Energy with Samsung energy-efficient products, we are changing the game for consumers and empowering them to make smarter decisions about their energy consumption.”
SmartThings Energy will support most Samsung appliances and HVAC systems and SmartThings plan to expand the service in the future to WWST partners. It’s available now through the SmartThings app.
