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11 smart home tools to put on your radar

Woman holding a phone with apps open in a living room. Today's connected home puts a premium on devices that make it easier to control lighting, heating and other devices while also increasing comfort and saving energy.

Devices are all about comfort, convenience, energy use

Home of the future. Smart home. Connected home.

We've been hearing these terms for well over a decade in anticipation of a near future in which our homes are equipped with the likes of smart fridges that order groceries, and voice controls to run just about everything in the home. The reality is that aside from the lairs of tech-savvy power users and/or the wealthy, the connected home of today is less about futuristic gadgets and more about convenience, practicality, and control.

"It's been like that for a few years now," says Tim Mosley, our senior program manager who has personally tested dozens of smart-home devices. "The popular tools are those that make your life easier, increase your comfort, and security."

Mosley's focus has been on identifying and testing new technologies that help people manage energy use. And while saving energy remains a priority, the use of our clean electricity to help curb carbon emissions – primarily through electric vehicles and heat pumps – has expanded that focus.

Today, we offer the HydroHome app with the capacity to show you your real-time home energy use and coach you towards energy savings goals. Last year we also launched optional time-of-day pricing of electricity, and rebates on load controllers, smart hot water controllers, solar panels and battery storage devices.

"It's about tools that provide awareness and insights, and it's about putting more control in the customer's hands to better understand how energy is used in the home," says Reid Arkinstall, who manages Team Power Smart and the rollout of tools such as the HydroHome app. "With better information, customers can reduce their energy use and decide whether options such as the time-of-day pricing make sense for them."

Learn more about time-of-day pricing, or log in to estimate your costs on the optional plan.

Here's a look at some of the most popular smart tools and programs out there – including a variety of our initiatives ­– that can help you gain better control of your energy use and your electricity bills.  

Smart plugs, dimmers, and switches

What they do: Allow you to turn regular appliances and devices into smart ones by controlling them remotely through an app or voice assistants.

What you're looking for: Sinope Zigbee, Lutron Diva, TP-Link Kasa, Vivitar smart home, Geeni. See our Power Smart Shop for ratings and comparisons on plugs, dimmers and switches.

Why they could be for you: Plugs, dimmers, and switches are among the most affordable ways to start building a smart home. You can schedule lights, fans, or small appliances to turn on or off automatically, and control and dim lights, to save energy, add convenience and security.

Energy use monitoring and coaching

What they do: Our MyHydro tools are free and provide home energy use information by month, day, and hour. The free HydroHome app provides more detailed info, goal setting and coaching, and comes with the option to purchase a hub that connects to your app and provides real-time energy use and other smart home features.

What you're looking at: MyHydro, HydroHome, Powerlync, Energy Bridge.

Why they could be for you: MyHydro provides the basics including energy use comparisons to outside temperature, similar homes near you, and past year energy use. HydroHome provides a breakdown of your home energy use, insights and tips, and custom notifications.

Smart bulbs

What they do: Change colour, brightness, and be controlled via voice commands or an app.

What you're looking for: Philips Hue, Govee, Wiz, GE Lighting CYNC, Dals Smart, Geeni Prisma.

Why they could be for you: You can customize your lighting and set up routines for different moods or times of the day. Many bulbs also have energy-saving features. See our Power Smart Shop for product ratings and energy use comparisons.

Smart thermostats

What they do: Allow you to schedule and control your home's temperature remotely – even while away on another continent – to optimize heating and cooling for comfort and energy savings.

What you're looking for: Mysa, Sinope, Ecobee, Google Nest. See our Power Smart Shop for product ratings and instant rebates of $25 until February 21. Some models are eligible to earn you $50 for signing up for Peak Saver.

Why it could be for you: Home heating is made easy, and home comfort improves. These thermostats can also help reduce energy costs, by scheduling lower temperatures overnight and when no one is at home, and by making quick adjustments when routines change.

Peak Saver

What it does: Peak Saver rewards enrolled customers for lowering their energy use during peak periods. Customers can opt for a hands-on challenge or can sit back and leave it to us.

What you're looking at: Peak Saver, Peak Saver challenges, enroll your smart devices for a $50 reward.

Why it could be for you: Earn money back on your BC Hydro bill for using less electricity during brief times of high demand, called peak events. Get Peak Saver rewards for being flexible when you use electricity, which helps us manage demand on our system.

Time-of-day pricing

What they do: Our optional time-of-day pricing provides a price incentive for customers to shift their electric vehicle charging and some appliance use to off-peak or overnight hours.

What you're looking at: Optional time-of-day pricing.

Why they could be for you: If you're an EV owner with home charging, you could save big by charging overnight. Or you could save if you're able to shift some of your household usage to overnight and/or before 4 p.m.

10 tips for saving with time-of-day pricing

Load controllers, water heater controllers, and leak detectors

What they do: Load controllers can connect to electric vehicle chargers and other larger devices to optimize home energy use. They act like smart plugs for the larger appliances in your home, allowing you to participate in Peak Saver, and also monitor the energy use of your largest energy using devices.

Water heater controllers are similar, but can also help save money and optimize energy use controlling when your water heater turns on and off. They improve your ability to maintain the correct temperature.

Smart leak detectors monitor for water leaks and other water-related issues in your home, and send you alerts when they detect something.

What you're looking at: Sinope Load controllers, Sinope Calypso. Get $25 off eligible smart water heater controllers and load controllers until February 21.

Why they could be for you: Load controllers can enable you to participate in Peak Saver. They can also be used to help schedule usage to non-peak times. Water heater controllers save energy and money, and leak detectors can detect everything from leaks to frozen pipes.

Smart doorbells, locks, and entry cameras

What they do: A smart doorbell allows you to see and speak to visitors remotely via your smartphone, and it can record video for security. Smart locks can open and close doors remotely and offer keyless entry.

What you're looking for: Google Nest, Ring, Arlo, Blink, Schlage, Lockly. Go to our Power Smart Shop for details and retail links for doorbells and locks.

Why they could be for you: Adds convenience and security by letting you know who's at the door, and some models offer cloud storage for video recordings.

Smart speakers

What they do: These devices offer voice assistants (like Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri) to play music, control other smart devices, provide information, and more.

What you're looking at: Amazon Echo, Google Nest, Apple HomePod, Sonos.

Why it's for you: Not only are there budget-friendly voice assistants, but they can also integrate with other smart devices to control them hands-free.

Security systems and motion sensors

What they do: Motion sensors can detect movement, while door/window sensors alert you when a door or window opens. Other sensors can detect hot water tank leaks and monitor air quality.

What you're looking at: Ring, Arlo, Rheem Ecosense, Defender, Swann, SimpliSafe, Vivint, Abode, ADT. See products in our Power Smart Shop.

Why it could be for you: Great for home security or automation. For example, you can use motion sensors to turn lights on when you enter a room, or use door/window sensors to trigger a security alarm.

Smart vacuums (robot vacuum)

What they do: Autonomously cleans your floors on a schedule, or on demand.

What you're looking at: Ecovacs, Roomba, Eufy , Ultenic, Dreame. See reviews at cnet.com.

Why they could be for you: Affordable options can still provide hands-free floor cleaning to save time and effort.

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