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3. Energy Use and Smart Devices

7. Features of smart appliances or smart devices

In addition to smart meters, there are many other different types of smart appliances that you could use in your home or at work. Let’s take a closer look at four examples. These four examples have been selected as they relate to activities in the home where we often use the most energy and therefore could potentially make the most savings.  

  • Smart Hot Water Cylinders: Heating water and storing it in hot water cylinders uses a lot of energy. Smart hot water cylinders adjust to only heat the amount of water you need. Read more about Smart Hot Water Cylinders. 
  • Smart Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging: Charging your smart electric vehicle at times when energy is cheaper can mean substantial savings than compared with charging your car at other times. Read more in the Energy Saving Trust’s article Smart charging for electric vehicles.
  • Smart Thermostats: These devices can learn about your heating and cooling preferences and adjust the temperature automatically. Smart thermostats can be controlled remotely and may help save on energy bills. Find out more about heating in this article Heating Controls by the Energy Saving Trust.
  • Smart Lighting: LED bulbs and lighting systems that can be controlled via smartphone apps or voice commands, allowing you to change the colour and intensity of the light, and schedule when lights turn on and off. 

As highlighted in these examples, smart appliances offer advanced features, typically enabled by internet connectivity and sometimes artificial intelligence (AI). In comparison with digital appliances, smart appliances can be controlled remotely (for example by using your smartphone) and you can also automate tasks.  

Smart appliances can also interact with you in a more intuitive way, for example by learning from how you use a particular device or by sending reminders or alerts directly to your smartphone. 

Video: Energy Use and Smart Devices (6:40 minutes) 

Download the video transcript.

This video highlights the role of digital meters in the energy transition. It shows how real-time consumption insights, powered by energy management systems, enable households and businesses reduce costs, spread peak power demand, and benefit from dynamic tariffs - especially with the new capacity tariff of Belgium. Smart control of devices like heat pumps and electric vehicles maintain comfort while preventing grid overload. It explores how the active consumer can be seen as the key to affordable renewable energy integration and optimal grid utilisation.