All articles tagged with #energy management
The article emphasizes the importance of taking a proper lunch break to recharge, suggesting small, manageable activities like a 10-minute walk, maintaining routine with some variety, and choosing balanced, nourishing meals to sustain energy and focus throughout the day. It also highlights the benefits of stepping away from work to improve mental health and productivity.
The article reviews six smart home devices that the author continues to use after testing, including a smart plug with energy management, a versatile climate sensor, a Google Nest floodlight camera, an Echo Show 8 smart display, a SnapPower Guidelight nightlight, and a SwitchBot leak detector, highlighting their usefulness and automation capabilities.
Google has started rolling out a feature that allows users of older Nest thermostats (3rd gen Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Thermostat E) in the US and UK to schedule temperature adjustments via the Google Home app, eliminating the need for the dedicated Nest app for scheduling. This update enhances usability and integrates older models into the Google ecosystem, along with other improvements to the Home app such as better device status visuals and energy usage insights.
The Google Home app now fully supports scheduling for older Nest thermostats, allowing users to set and transfer temperature schedules, enhancing control and energy efficiency. New updates also improve visual displays and energy usage insights for newer models. Support for the first two generations of Nest thermostats has been discontinued.
Taylor Swift emphasizes the importance of treating one's energy as a valuable and limited resource, advocating for ignoring negativity on social media and protecting personal well-being, a message that resonates beyond entertainment into broader discussions on work-life balance and mental health.
A smart home editor shares his experience with six smart devices he continues to use after testing in 2025, highlighting their usability, features, and how they fill specific niches in his home, including smart plugs, sensors, security cameras, smart displays, nightlights, and leak detectors.
Apple is expanding its Home app with new energy management features through the EnergyKit framework, enabling developers to integrate energy data for devices like thermostats and EV chargers to optimize energy use, potentially paving the way for Apple Home to become a comprehensive home energy management system.
MIT researchers have developed a self-powered sensor that can harvest energy from its environment, eliminating the need for batteries or special wiring. The sensor, which can be embedded in hard-to-reach places, such as inside a ship's engine, gathers data on power consumption and operations for extended periods. The researchers offer a design guide for an energy-harvesting sensor that can be applied to various power sources, making it suitable for factories, warehouses, and commercial spaces. The sensor's energy management system addresses challenges such as cold starting, energy storage, and control algorithms, enabling it to operate without a battery and transmit data using Bluetooth.
Canadian startup Ecobee, which launched its first smart thermostat in 2008, is expanding its smart home ecosystem with the launch of a smart video doorbell and enhancements to its smart security system. Ecobee aims to differentiate itself from competitors like Nest by offering a range of features, including a smart speaker, indoor air quality monitoring, smoke and CO alarm listening, temperature and humidity sensing, and radar-powered motion sensing. The company also plans to support the new universal smart home standard Matter. Ecobee's focus on context and energy management aligns with its goal of achieving a net-zero-energy home of the future.
Apple's upcoming iOS 17 update will introduce a new feature called Grid Forecast in the Apple Home app, allowing users to see when their electrical grid has relatively clean or less clean energy sources available. This feature can help users make more sustainable choices by running appliances or charging electric vehicles when cleaner energy is available. While the current implementation is manual, there is potential for automation in the future. Other smart home platforms, such as Samsung's SmartThings Energy, already offer real-time energy usage monitoring and automation features. Apple's Grid Forecast combines grid, emissions, and weather data to provide users with a simple graphic representation of energy cleanliness.
The Southwire Portland E-Prix at Portland International Raceway will present new challenges for Formula E teams and their electric race cars due to the fast and flowing track, which lacks the usual 90-degree corners found on street circuits for energy regeneration. The Hankook tires will need a different setup due to the atypical operating conditions, and the race promises to be high-speed with lots of overtakes and slipstreams. The race airs live on CBS Sports Network on June 24.