The average person forgets to turn off their light bulbs fairly frequently. It’s something the vast majority of us are guilty of. If you’ve ever wondered just how much energy you’re wasting, take a look at your meter while the lights are on. You’re probably in for a surprise.

So how can you save money on lighting costs? Besides turning off the lights, the type of light bulb you use also has a substantial effect on your energy usage. Older light bulbs waste significantly more energy than modern brands.

But today, we’re not talking about light bulb types, but rather smart lights. The technologically advanced lights can help save you both money, and energy, beyond what any normal light can.

Let’s look at the most effective ways you can use smart home lighting to reduce your utility bills and save energy in your home.

Motion Detecting Lights

Motion detector smart lights ensure that remembering to flip the light switch is a thing of the past. When they first came to market motion detectors were expensive, but today they’re accessible to everyone.

Consider smart lights that work in conjunction with a motion detector system.The systems can save you more than 35 percent of your current light bulb energy usage. Instead of worrying about turning your lights on and off, let the detectors do it for you.

Remote Lighting Controls

If motion detector lights aren’t your thing, some smart light brands offer the ability to control your light bulbs from your smartphone. Simply sync your lights to their companion app and you’re ready for home control.

Remote systems are especially useful if you’re worried about coming home to a dark house. Those with small children can make sure you’re coming home to a safe, light, inviting house.

Personalized Energy Efficiency Reports

Installing the correct kind, and amount, of smart lights is crucial to maximizing your energy efficiency. However, it isn’t always straightforward to set up your smart light system.

Apps like Benefyd have homeowners fill out a survey regarding their home and energy usage habits, and then provide a plan to optimize their home. Once you’re armed with a plan, smart home lighting becomes much, much easier.

Upgrade to LEDs

LED lighting doesn’t just use less energy than traditional incandescent lighting, it also lasts up to 25 times longer. This is partially because LED bulbs run cooler than their older counterparts, and because their epoxy lenses are more resistance to impact damage.

Replacing the bulbs in your home with LED bulbs is an excellent way to slash the price of your home lighting costs. What’s more, almost all smart lights use LED bulbs.

Being careless with your lighting can cost you energy, and therefore money. But with smart lights, you can save yourself both time and energy! With any of the above smart light options, you’ll have no problem revolutionizing your home’s lighting.

The time to save energy is now, so don’t wait! Outfit your home with smart lights as soon as possible.