The team at Knightsbridge look at some of the ways that you and your customers can ‘outsmart’ the cost-of-living crisis.
With the recent increases in energy rates, consumers are under pressure to save money. One major drain on budgets are ‘vampire appliances’. Consuming power even when not in use, these appliances cost households hundreds of pounds per year.
According to British Gas (BG), up to 23% of residential electricity usage can be due to ‘vampire energy’ drawn by phone chargers, set-top boxes, monitors, printers, and other devices that continue to take power when not in use or on standby.
A modest estimate from the company said that appliances on standby cost homeowners £147 per year on average, while in larger homes or those with more electronics, it could be up to £300 per year. The total cost in UK domestic energy amounts to around £2.2bn.
A list published by the Mirror in March related that the top five most expensive devices included Sky boxes, which can consume 30W, at more than £70 each year and laptop chargers at £60 a year. With our modern homes being laden with gadgets, it’s easy to see how it all soon mounts up.
Smart thinking
Consumer demand for smart accessories initially sprang from the novelty, convenience and versatility afforded by such devices. However, now, in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, additional benefits come to the fore, such as being able to better manage energy-burning equipment through voice or App control.
Interestingly, Knightsbridge’s last survey of over 1,000 electrical contractors revealed that a high percentage of the trade were very much aware of smart technology but there was less confidence about installing smart products. Happily, that’s where the latest range of Knightsbridge smart products comes into its own.
Find your voice
At the heart of the Knightsbridge range are two 13A, 2-gang, smart switched sockets that can be controlled remotely or by voice.
The sockets, which were designed to match the company’s existing square and curved edge accessory ranges, have a power monitoring function that displays live power usage in kWh and a green LED that indicates which gang is in use. For outdoors, there is an IP66, 2-gang switched socket with a range of up to 40m, depending on Wi-Fi coverage.
The range also includes a 16A smart plug adapter, a 10A 3-gang smart extension lead with a quad USB charger, and smart motion and entry sensors to help extend the smart capability of the home.
Designed to be easily installed and quickly configured into Knightsbridge’s user-friendly SmartKnight App, the wiring accessories and lighting products can be controlled via a smartphone. To get started the user simply downloads the SmartKnight App to their smartphone from either Google Play or the Apple App Store and follows the instructions.
Getting connected
Once downloaded they’ll be able to take advantage of a variety of features, including timers, schedules, scenes, and geo-fencing. Users can also issue instructions to either Alexa or Google Assistant to turn on downlights or turn off connected appliances.
The Knightsbridge range of smart products makes use of existing home routers to install a simple-to-use smart system that provides ease, flexibility, and scalability – and, most crucially, cheaper energy expenses.
Browse the Knightsbridge digital catalogue here
