Energy has always been one of mankind’s most essential tools, supporting a myriad of fundamental societal processes, such as expanded industry, modern agriculture, increased trade, and improved transportation, which are the building blocks to improving lives around the world. Energy powers the variety of innovative technologies that are rapidly becoming available to both enterprises and consumers alike.
Unfortunately, this has also created an increase in global demand for energy that has been challenging to meet.
What governments to meet energy needs is also beginning to highlight the gap in energy equity, as US households begin to struggle to pay their energy bills. Nowadays, more than 30 million US households are considered energy insecure, meaning that they are unable to adequately meet household energy needs, which can have profound implications on health and health equity.
For instance, the average US household allocates 3.1 percent of its income to energy expenses, but for low-income households, this number jumps all the way to 8.1 percent. This allocation of expenses has these households fall under the category of high energy burden, while also not being far off from the 10-plus percent allocation that is deemed a severe burden.
Thankfully, where technology creates a problem, technology is also there to offer a solution, as the variety of digital devices and applications begin to be leveraged to combat the issue of energy equity, at both a government and enterprise level.
Help in the Form of AI
In terms of aid to oppose inefficient energy use, and overall energy inequity, at the government level, this help takes the form of financial aid. For instance, on Aug. 16, 2022, President Biden signed the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The law includes USD 391 billion to support clean energy and address climate change, including $8.8 billion in rebates for home energy efficiency and electrification projects. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that these rebates will save households up to USD one billion on energy bills each year.
However, at the business level, things are unfortunately not always as simple as raising their energy budget, so instead, energy enterprises are quickly leveraging the vast array of new technology available to create energy saving programs to help their customers. For many enterprises in the energy sector, these cost-saving programs most prominently leverage AI-driven, home automated energy systems to help their consumers reach their desired levels of energy security.
When it comes to home automation technology, usually each device has sensors and is connected through WiFi, so they can be managed from a smartphone or tablet, anywhere and anytime. When coupled with AI capabilities, energy enterprises can control nearly every aspect of household energy, from exploration and production to distribution and consumption, with enhanced insight and efficiency in order to help consumers save.
For instance, when it comes to household temperatures, home automation systems with AI–equipped thermostats can play a pivotal role in saving heat energy. This is mainly because AI thermostats leverage technology and data analytics that can adapt to a consumer’s lifestyle, preferences, and even weather conditions where they reside, ensuring their home remains comfortable while saving energy.
Furthermore, with AI-enabled thermostats, enterprises, or the consumers themselves, can more efficiently set temperature schedules and routines. AI-driven home automated systems allow consumers to set different temperatures for different times of the day, enabling them to avoid unnecessary heating or cooling while they’re away. By optimizing temperature settings based on routines, consumers can both reduce energy waste and save money.
How Hub Controls Helps
At Hub Controls, we understand how vital it is to save on every penny when it comes to the energy bill, which is why our goal is to reduce the strain of inefficient energy use for all of those homes by installing our Hub Controls system, which come equipped with our automatic energy reduction (AER) manager.
Our AER manager is the only proven energy-saving smart thermostat that will give you control over your heating no matter where you are. Our innovative AER Technology does all the savings – you don’t have to do a thing! By simply having your heating on, you’re saving money.
Overall, we all have a role to play in the fight against climate change. Homes that are energy-efficient use less energy to heat, cool, and run electronic devices. With our AER-equipped Hub Controller, Hub controls wants to help you take the first step in reaching carbon neutrality, which is reducing your home’s energy waste and improving energy efficiency.
Schedule a demo here.