It’s been thought that adding smart shades to a home could increase how energy efficient a home is. Opening and closing shades at certain times of day to let in or block sunlight certainly makes sense to help control heating and cooling costs. However, few studies have been ran on if automating the process would really be worthwhile.
Enter Baltimore Gas & Electric ( BGE ). Baltimore Gas & Electric recently ran a yearlong study with 15 of their residential clients receiving smart shades in their home. These shades were programmed to automatically open and close based on the time of day and the sun’s position. So in the summer time, shades would close during the day in the summer to help reduce cooling costs. Participants could override the settings or adjust them via a smart phone app.
Well, the results of this study are in.
On average, the participants saw a 13% decrease in their electricity costs and a 3.4% decrease in gas costs. That’s a pretty significant savings!
Automation made managing the opening / close of the shades easy, so they weren’t dependent on a person remembering to do it. As one participant said: “Automation takes the hassle out of opening and closing the shades daily and allows us to consistently reap the energy and cost savings benefits”.
So, next time you’re debating if automating your shades and blinds is “worth it”, remember that 13% and 3.4% savings!
For more information, check out Baltimore Gas & Electric’s site here.
