Thanks to Direct Energy for sponsoring today’s discussion.
With the weather taking a turn for cool, it’s time to start thinking about how to make your house work for you! Warm blankets and toasty pairs of socks are great, but there will still be plenty of nights this winter in Chicago to turn up that heat! Do what you can to ensure that the thermostat rising doesn’t cause your bank account to plummet. Thanks to Direct Energy for these great energy efficient tips.
Need help thinking of ways to make your home smarter and more convenient? We’ve got a mixture of energy efficiency and smart home ideas for you!
1. Install a smart thermostat, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat. Smart thermostats offer you climate control, the convenience of programming away from home, and more.
2. Your living room typically has multiple active light sources available. Make sure your lighting is energy efficient by switching traditional bulbs to CFLs or LEDs.
3. Replace your old, inefficient appliances with new, efficient, Energy Star® appliances. Old appliances tend to run inefficiently.
4. Replace the showerhead in your bathroom(s) with low flow showerheads. These showerheads regulate the flow of water, assuring you a more efficient shower.
5. Make sure you have a strong Wi-fi signal from your smart thermostat and smart devices. Because you can remotely control your smart thermostat via the internet, periodically check the signal strength in the network settings on the thermostat’s control screen.
6. Installing light dimmers can save cut your electricity use 40% over time and make your lightbulbs last 20 times longer.
7. Use an automated pet food and water dispensing system so you don’t have to worry about feeding your pets if you happen to be away from home for longer than you had intended.
8. Planting trees in optimal spots on your property will provide shade during the warmer months making your system work less hard to cool your home down.
9. Even when your appliances are turned off, they are still using electricity. Use smart power strips to combat energy vampires.
10. Use a smart sprinkler to control your sprinkler system from your smartphone. They adjust setting based on weather and time of day so you don’t have to.
Direct Energy is committed to helping our customers build a smarter home, and thus cut down on their energy usage – saving the customer time and making their lives easier. Learn more about creating a smarter home by visiting the Facebook page, or exploring the Comfort & Control Plans. Comfort & Control Plans 24 or 36 month plans offer fixed rate price stability, and a Nest Learning Thermostat (a $249 value) at no cost to you.
I sign on with them the sales rep said he was coming back in a week with the gift he never did he also told me my service would start in next 2 weeks which really took 2 1/2 months. When I contacted Com Ed said they released to them however for some reason Direct was dropping the ball when I contacted Direct they said Com Ed was dropping the ball .During this time customer service at Direct acted like jerks so I left and never looked back and never will.