3 Smart-Home Gadgets That Save You Money and Pay For Themselves

Your home is the single largest investment in your life, and that’s true whether it’s a house, condo, or apartment. And it’s not just the mortgage or rent that gets you; it’s the heating, cooling, electricity, and repair bills.

Thankfully, there are tech tools that can help you lower those costs (and possibly even avoid a few of them). Below I’ve rounded up three smart-home gadgets I consider essential. They’re all easy to use and mostly set-it-and-forget-it. Best of all, they’re likely to pay for themselves, either now or in the future.

Smart thermostat

This is arguably the single biggest money-saver for any home, because it lets you reduce AC and furnace use at designated times — like when you’re away at work, on vacation, and sleeping.

Think about it: Why pay to heat or cool your crib when nobody’s home? And during winter months, you can lower the temp at night when you’re snuggling under blankets. All this can happen automatically, at programmed times, but some thermostats can even “learn” your habits and make adjustments accordingly.

EnergyStar.gov reports that a smart thermostat can save you anywhere from 8-15% annually on heating and cooling costs — potentially hundreds of dollars. And here’s a pro tip: Check with your local energy utility before buying, because there’s a good chance you can get a rebate or even a free thermostat.

Top pick: Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, $259.99

Budget pick: Ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential, $139.99

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Smart water-leak detectors

Ask any plumber for their horror stories and there’s a good chance you’ll hear this one: “Family was away on vacation and came home to two feet of water, all because of a leaky pipe.”

Whether you’re home or not, it’s critical to learn immediately if there’s water where it shouldn’t be. And that’s why I’ve deployed water sensors in all the key places: under sinks, beside the hot-water heater and clothes washer, etc.

These things can detect water from above or below, and if they do, they produce a loud alarm and send both an app notification and an e-mail.

I’ve used them for years, and they’ve caught leaks under the kitchen sink and in the basement. I can’t even begin to fathom the damage — and expense — I avoided. Talk about something that paid for itself.

Top pick: GoveeLife Smart Water Leak Detector 4-pack, $59.99

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Smart power strips

With electricity costs soaring, it makes sense to look for ways to reduce consumption around the house. You’ve probably heard of so-called “vampire” devices, which draw power even when they’re not in use?

Time for a stake to the heart.

A smart power strip lets you disable individual outlets at set times, thus cutting those devices’ power consumption to zero. So, for example, in my living room, my TV, soundbar, and game console all get “unplugged” at 11 p.m. and stay that way until 5 p.m. the next day. Obviously I can turn them back on manually if I want, but that’s 18 hours they’re not wasting electricity.

Other vampires worth tackling: cable boxes, streaming devices, computers, printers, and especially smart devices — anything that’s always primed to listen to voice commands, for example.

Top pick: Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip (6 outlets), $59.99

Budget pick: Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip (3 outlets), $29.99