Green tech, from Tesla-made solar panels to energy efficient power strips, can make your house more eco- and cost-friendly

By John Elliot
Originally Published April 20, 2021

Green technology isn't just good for the planet—it's good for your wallet.

These smart, sustainable gadgets will help you make your home eco-friendly and efficient while eliminating waste of both energy and money.

Tesla Solar

Tesla is so busy building spaceships and self-driving cars that you might forget it also makes a pretty solid solar panel product. These discreet devices are smart, stylish and sustainable, and can be outfitted to current roofs or serve as a roof replacement. In addition to allowing homeowners to reduce their reliance on the local energy grid, Tesla solar panels enable users to monitor—and control—their homes’ power usage from anywhere in the world via an accompanying Tesla app.

Visit tesla.com/solarpanels for a quote on solar panel pricing.

Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller

Want to curb outdoor water waste? Rachio is here to help. This smart sprinkler system takes into account your unique landscape—plants, soil conditions, and most importantly, the local weather forecast, when developing a watering schedule for your yard—which means no water will be wasted when it is going to rain anyway. And the contraption is so clever (and connected) that it can switch up on the fly, changing watering times as the forecast shifts. Of course, if you'd rather exert your own exacting control over how your lawn is watered, you can do that, too, by programming a precise irrigation regimen for your yard on the Rachio app.

The Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller is available for $229.

Nest Learning Thermostat

If you're trying to keep home heating (or cooling) costs down, you could use a thermostat that learns what life is like in your home. The Nest Learning Thermostat is just that. This intelligent temp controller from Google's smart-home brand understands, via sensors and phone location, when individuals are home—or not—and adjusts the temperature accordingly. Nest also takes the weather into account, grabbing the local temp and forecast through its Wi-Fi connection and factoring it in as it sets the temperature throughout the day. And for Nest owners who want to do even more for the environment (and their checkbook), the smart device makes it simple—by turning the dial to the "leaf" icon, Nest will develop a heating/cooling schedule designed to save energy, while tailoring it to your family's temperature preferences.

The Nest Learning Thermostat is available for $249.

Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip

Is there a sneakier energy cost than the “phantom load” (the electricity devices consume even when they are plugged in but not in use)? Think about how many devices you have plugged in at any given time. While many of these products may appear to be off, unless you've turned them off, they are just sleeping—and still drawing power. The Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip can help thwart this quiet energy waste. Comprising six independently controllable smart outlets and three built-in USB charging ports, the Kasa allows owners to monitor each connected device’s energy usage (through the Kasa Smart app) and turn them on and off as needed—so your laptop won't be sucking down power while you spend eight hours sleeping. And Kasa makes turning the power on and off to individual ports as easy as speaking it with voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip is available for $79.