What might the future of sustainable technology look like at home?

Guest blog post: Elizabeth Long, graduated with a degree in English Language, and then travelled to different countries in order to expand her views, and experience different cultures. She now writes meaningful posts, designed to give readers helpful take-home points that they can act on in their own lives.

If we want to save our planet, then the future has to be green. Whilst sustainable technology has got a bad reputation in previous years for being expensive and complicated to install, suppliers are increasingly trying to make it more accessible. Items like smart thermostats are easy to buy from department stores or online, and come with installation packages or can be installed yourself.

But what might the future look like for sustainable technologies at home? We take a look.

Solar glass

Photo by Kévin JINER on Unsplash

The next step up from solar panels, solar glass is exactly as it sounds. It looks like normal glass, but acts in the same way as solar panels, generating renewable electricity from the sun. This can then power the building that they’re on, and any excess energy can be stored when paired with a storage option. The homeowner can then either keep these reserves full for a cloudy day, or sell the excess power back to the grid.

This has huge potential, as every home will have at least one window, and there’s a trend for large swathes of glass in modern design. It’s estimated that solar glass could provide power for 40% of the US, if utilized to its maximum capacity.

Heating solutions

We all need to heat our homes, and it can be frustrating when we realise that we’re pumping our homes full of warmth unnecessarily. Using this energy when we don’t need to is expensive both for our wallets and the planet.

Making the switch to renewable, home-generated energy can be a good solution, and is one that is increasingly popular. Heat pumps and underfloor heating can be a winning combination when it comes to creating an energy efficient, eco-friendly home. Heat pumps capture heat that is already present in the air and move it into your home, using compression and expansion.

Heat pumps are considered highly efficient, as they produce more heat than the amount of electricity that they use. When combined with underfloor heating, they can offer a consistent temperature inside, meaning that you’re not losing warm air to the cooler areas of your home.

Smart changes

With plenty of us now having access to smartphones, linking our home utilities to this feels like a natural progression. Not only is being able to link your phone to your thermostat convenient for when you’ve been away from home and want to make things toasty for your return, but it also helps keep your energy usage low, reducing bills and helping the environment.

This sustainable tech solution monitors your usage, and keeps things consistent, rather than you just knocking the heating up five degrees because you’re suddenly cold. Some even learn your habits, like when you wake up, so that your home isn’t heated when it’s not required. A smart thermostat can also give you insight into when you’re using the most energy.

Another useful solution is smart swaps for everyday items like smart lighting and smart fridges. These options allow you more control over your tech, and encourage you to slim down on any energy-guzzling habits.