Can Using Matter Devices Save Energy and Help the Environment?

Smart homes are essentially labor-saving systems. By ensuring devices can be remotely controlled and automated, less effort can be put into mundane tasks, and saved for things you enjoy – art, gaming, music, whatever.

One of the key aspects of the Matter smart home platform is its energy monitoring features, extended in Matter 1.4. With careful management and configuration, there is the potential for a smart home to not only save you some physical energy, but to also reduce on domestic energy use.

So do Matter devices contribute to energy efficiency and environmental sustainability?

Understanding the Power of Matter

Matter is a smart home standard that was conceived to improve interoperability and compatibility between disparate smart home platforms. Think of a single app that you can use to control smart gear from Google, Apple, Amazon, etc., and you’ll have an idea of what Matter should be capable of.

At the time of writing, the Matter specification doesn’t include all types of smart home devices, nor cover all functions of those it does. However, it is expected that more universal control will occur in time.

As long as there is a Matter-compatible hub and associated app on your smartphone, Matter devices can be controlled. It is far more convenient to use one app rather than switch between multiple apps to control your smart home gear.

It is also more secure to use one app, rather than several, with the increase in weakness points and attack vectors this introduces. One of Matter’s key strengths are its security protocols, designed to protect both the connected hardware and your data.

Matter tech should also be easily to install and configure. No one wants to spend hours trying to enrol a lamp bulb or smart plug, after all!

The Energy Efficiency Potential of Matter

Various Matter-compatible devices can contribute to improved energy efficiency in the home.

Smart Thermostats

Hardware like the Tado X range of smart thermostats and radiator thermostats can be used to control temperatures in specific rooms. Weather information can be used to determine heating and cooling schedules. Add motion sensors and you have the makings of an automation, with heating focused on rooms that are in use. By employing smart controls for heating, your home’s carbon footprint can be reduced.

In the UK and Europe, the OpenTherm standard can be used with Matter to further ensure energy efficiency with central heating systems.

Smart Lighting

Now more advanced than lamps with simple Wi-Fi remotes, smart lighting – whether ceiling bulbs, atmospheric wall lamps, or ambient LEDs – can be incorporated into a Matter smart home environment.

We’re already blessed with the low power requirements of LEDs and modern lighting. Smart lighting via modern Matter-compatible smart home platforms adds automated controls, dimming capabilities, color management, and of course, integration into automations and scenes (essentially, more complex automations).

With timers, motion sensors and occupancy sensors used together, smart lighting can automatically switch on and off as and when required. You’ve also got the voice command element via your smart speaker.

Smart Plugs

Perhaps the easiest way to get started with Matter, smart plugs make dumb devices smart, and feature timers and scheduling. For example, you might use a smart plug to remotely turn a heater on or off according to your schedule, or the weather.

Smart plugs increasingly feature energy monitoring, which can aid you in determining how much power a particular device is using. This can be viewed in Matter mobile apps – you might discover that the connected device is inefficient and should be replaced.

EV Chargers

Recent iterations of the Matter specification have added support for EV chargers. The idea here is straightforward: the charger can be configured to recharge the car, bike, or other electric vehicle when the electricity tariff is at its lowest. Not only does this save money, it is typically also at night, when other devices are not powered on. And of course, using an EV means you’re not using a vehicle with road-level emissions.

Other settings concerning solar panels and other renewable sources can also be accessed.

Other Matter Devices

A handful of other Matter devices can also have an impact on your home’s energy use. Things like smart speakers, security cameras, and smart locks all support automation and remote control. So while they have no direct impact, there is a contribution to improved energy efficiency, especially in scenarios where these devices are used in automation scenes.

Challenges for Energy Matters

While energy efficiency is something we should all be conscious of and strive towards, it does not come without challenges.

• Initial investment: the initial cost of buying Matter devices isn’t prohibitive, but if you’re planning to replace and entire smart home set up, it could prove costly. While enrolling new devices is swift, the initial setup of installing and configuring your Matter hub can be time-consuming. But long-term savings can be found.

• User behavior and habits: improving how and when devices are used can help to maximize any savings. As noted, picking the right time to charge an EV is important, just as taking a shower during periods of reduced energy tariffs. Everyone in the Matter smart home should be aware of the importance of picking the right moment, and switching things off when they’re not in use!

• Reliability and durability: smart devices could potentially last far longer with Matter, which is designed to future proof hardware. To ensure this, rely on reputable brands with reliable service plans, and periodically check that devices are clean and fully functional.

Making Energy Efficiency Matter

Matter’s potential for adding energy efficient controls into a smart home should not be understated. At a time where domestic fuel costs are rising (particularly in Europe), using technology to optimize energy use makes perfect sense.

EV chargers and smart thermostats in particular can have a noticeable impact on your home’s energy use. But don’t rule out smart lighting and plugs and any other timer-equipped and energy-aware devices (such as TVs) that can be managed to either use less energy, or run when energy costs are cheaper.

If you’re not already using Matter in your smart home, but use Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and other platforms, now is the time to switch, and start contributing to energy efficiency. There is also a small sustainability aspect to this, as Matter is intended to be future proofed, thereby extending the timescale that smart tech is useful. If arrival at the local landfill for out-of-use tech can be avoided, that’s another reason to move your smart home – and perhaps that of your friends and family – to Matter.