Smart thermostat maker Ecobee is piloting a clever new feature that aims to help you save on electricity costs.
Dubbed "Peak Relief," the feature automatically heats or cools your home during off-peak hours of the day when electricity is cheaper. "With Peak Relief, you can save money without ever compromising your comfort," Ecobee promised.
Here's how it works: the feature takes into account your electricity rates, temperature preferences, home's energy efficiency, and the local weather forecast to determine the most efficient time to run your cooling or heating.
"Peak Relief considers all this data and runs your heating or cooling just before peaks times, for the right amount of time," Ecobee explained on its website. The company said the feature can also help "reduce the demand on your community's energy usage," lowering the risk of blackouts.
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Those with access to it can enable the feature in the Ecobee mobile app. Just head over to the app's main menu and select Peak Relief. You can opt for "Super Savings" or "Basic Savings." The latter offers the most savings by "allowing a slight departure from your comfort settings during peak hours," while the former saves you less money but ensures the temperature doesn't deviate from your preference.
When this feature is running, you'll see a Peak Relief icon underneath the temperature on your thermostat and in the Ecobee mobile app.
Peak Relief works with Ecobee3, Ecobee3 lite, and Ecobee4 smart thermostats. To use it, you must be on a Time of Use rate with your energy provider and have an electric heating or cooling system.
Meanwhile, LG last week introduced three new Wi-Fi-enabled window air conditioners featuring Dual Inverter Compressor technology, which the company said makes them up to 40 percent more energy efficient than other models.
"The Dual Inverter Compressor… constantly adjusts its speed to maintain desired temperature levels resulting in less fluctuation and greater energy efficiency," LG explained in a news release. "In contrast, non-Inverter room air conditioners turn the compressor on or off completely to meet room temperature preferences."
You can turn them on and off, as well as adjust the temperature, from the SmartThinQ smartphone app. They also work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant so you can control them using voice commands.