How to use Alexa to save money on your energy bills

💡 Need to know

• Alexa Energy Dashboard lets you track and manage the power usage of compatible smart devices.
• Automate your lighting with routines that turn off the lights when Alexa senses a room is empty.
• Smart thermostats are key for letting Alexa adjust the temperature while you're away or sleeping.
• Need more smart home tips?
  An Amazon expert can help at 866-853-4942.

From giving you severe weather updates to ordering you groceries, Alexa™, the virtual assistant that comes with Amazon™ smart speakers, can make your life more convenient. But did you know it can also help you save money on your energy bill?

Americans waste around $130 billion on energy every year, according to The Energy Resource Center, a Colorado-based non-profit. Using a few simple smart home devices—and connecting them to Alexa—can help reduce this waste along with your bill. Just switching to a smart thermostat can save you up to $50 a year, according to Energy Star®. We'll show you show.

At Asurion, we help you get the most out of the tech you love—whether you're looking for the best smart home gadgets or for fun things to ask your virtual assistant. Here's our guide on how to lower your energy bill with Alexa.

Energy-saving smart home devices that work with Alexa

“Hey Alexa, give me some energy-saving tips."

Say that phrase to Alexa, and your virtual assistant will respond with ideas about lowering your utility bills. A few examples: “Keep your thermostat at 78 degrees in the summer," or “Turn off the lights when you leave the house." Good advice, right?

But the best use of your virtual assistant's money-saving talent is to pair your smart speaker with one or more of these devices:

• Smart thermostats
• Smart lights
• Smart plugs

We'll show you different ways Alexa can work with your devices to lower your electric bill. All you need is a smart home gadget and a good internet connection.

Save energy with Alexa skills

Skills are like apps for Alexa. When you turn them on, you can use voice commands to ask Alexa to play music or check the weather. You can also control your home's temperature, lights, and security, with smart home devices like the Nest™ Thermostat, Philips Hue™ smart bulbs, or the Ring™ doorbell.

To connect your smart home devices to your virtual assistant, say, “Alexa, discover devices" or open the Alexa app and follow these steps:

1. Open the Alexa app, and select Devices.
2. Tap the + icon, then select Add Device.
3. Choose the device type and brand, then follow the onscreen prompts.

Once you're connected, you can say, “Alexa, turn off the lights," or “Alexa, turn down the heat to 68 degrees," making your home more energy efficient without even leaving the couch. Learn more about the best Alexa skills to enable on your devices.

Conserve energy with Alexa custom routines

Voice commands are handy for turning smart home devices off or on, but it's more efficient to set up routines to adjust your energy use automatically. Try launching a routine to turn off your holiday lights so they don't stay on all night, or you could start a routine to shut off the lights and lower the heat when you tell Alexa you're leaving the house. The savings will start to stack up, and the planet will thank you.

Follow these simple steps to set up a routine:

How to set up an Alexa routine

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Tap More in the bottom-right corner.
3. Select Routines.
4. Tap the + icon in the top-right corner to create a new routine.

Set your trigger

1. Tap When this happens.
2. Choose your trigger (for example: Voice, Schedule, Smart Home, Location, Alarm, etc.).

If you select Schedule:

1. Choose the time and frequency (Every day, Weekdays, Weekends, or Custom).
2. Tap Next, then confirm your selection.

Add actions

1. Tap Add action.
2. Choose the category (Smart Home, Alexa Says, Music, Notifications, etc.).
3. Select your device or action.

You can add multiple actions to one routine.

Choose the device Alexa responds from

1. Under From, select which Echo device should respond.
2. Tap Save.

Use Alexa Hunches to save energy

If you’re trying to lower your energy bill, Alexa Hunches can help. This feature—enabled by default—lets Alexa notice patterns in your smart home and suggest helpful actions. For example, it may detect that lights are still on late at night or that your thermostat is set higher than usual when you’re away.

You can also allow Alexa to automatically act on certain hunches without asking first, like turning off lights at bedtime or adjusting the thermostat when you leave the house. Here’s how to manage Hunches:

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Tap More.
3. Select Settings.
4. Tap Hunches.
5. Choose Automatic Actions.
6. Enable the actions you want Alexa to handle automatically.

Available options typically include lights, thermostats, and other compatible smart home devices.

Check your energy use with Alexa

If you want to understand how your smart home devices impact energy usage, Alexa’s Energy Dashboard can help. It shows trends for compatible devices like smart plugs, lights, and thermostats, so you can see patterns by day, week, or month. Here’s how to access it:

• Open the Alexa app.
• Tap More.
• Select Settings.
• Tap Energy Dashboard.

From there, you can review estimated energy usage, device activity trends, and suggestions for reducing consumption. Keep in mind, the dashboard tracks supported smart devices—not your entire home’s utility usage.