Screenshot/Samsung
SmartThings has evolved over time with new hardware, including next-gen hubs and SmartThings-branded accessories. It’s also added third-party partners and new services along the way. SmartThings even looped in support for assorted Samsung products, including TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners and more via Samsung Cloud.
Now you can get SmartThings alerts on your energy consumption.
Before SmartThings was Samsung SmartThings, it was just another startup on Kickstarter. The idea was clever: To take all of the various smart home apps — Nest, Philips, Belkin — and provide a similar user experience on one centralized app, the SmartThings app. You wouldn’t need to switch from app to app to control your devices ever again; you’d only need to open SmartThings (as long as you also bought the requisite router-tethered SmartThings hub).
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An energy monitor is a nice idea, but SmartThings Energy at launch will only work with “most of Samsung Home Appliances and HVAC products,” according to SmartThings. The team plans to add support for devices from third-party brands, but doesn’t specify when.
SmartThings on Thursday announced SmartThings Energy, a new energy-tracking service for Samsung HVAC products and appliances. Available now on the SmartThings app, SmartThings Energy is designed to help you save money and reduce your home’s energy consumption by monitoring your usage and sending out alerts based on your current stats.
With SmartThings Energy, you’ll be able to view your devices individually and together to get a sense of how each appliance contributes to the whole. That means you should be able to see exactly how much energy your Samsung air conditioner is using this month compared to last — and make adjustments, as needed, to the target temperature to reduce your usage and save money. SmartThings Energy also sends alerts if you left a device on when you aren’t home, or are consuming more energy than your set goal.
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Many brands offer energy-monitoring stats, especially Nest, Ecobee and other smart thermostat companies. Other companies, like Sense, offer whole-home, professionally-installed energy monitors that tie into your breaker panel and provide a more holistic look at your home’s usage. You’d have to have only compatible Samsung appliances in your home for SmartThings Energy to provide that same degree of value.
Fortunately, SmartThings Energy is a free service that you can use or not, based on the Samsung appliances and HVAC devices you might have. SmartThings Energy is available now via the SmartThings app.
