Hey everyone, just wanted to share a little win from my smart home journey. I’m about a year into building out my setup, and out of everything I’ve tried, the Aqara Smart Plugs have had the biggest impact—especially on my wallet.
Long story short, I live in an older apartment where the heater and a couple of old appliances suck up a ton of power. I threw a few smart plugs on devices I suspected were energy hogs (mainly the space heater, coffee machine, and entertainment center), and started using HomeKit automations to shut them off when I leave or during hours I know I won’t need them (like in the middle of the night).
The real kicker: I tracked my usage for two months, and my energy bill dropped over 30%.
Even small changes like scheduling the fan to only run when temps hit a certain level or turning off the TV’s standby power when nobody’s home made a noticeable difference. I also set up a shortcut to kill everything with one button when I leave.
If you haven’t tried using smart plugs for energy tracking/control yet, highly recommend starting with just one or two. Curious if anyone else has seen similar drops—or has better automation ideas? Still feel like I’m only scratching the surface.