At Amazon, our goal is to build and design products that last for the long-term and create solutions that help lower our customers’ energy usage.
Here are our top tips to keep in mind this Earth Month and beyond.
From letting Alexa proactively adjust your thermostat to trading in your used devices, here are some top things to know about our devices and services this Earth Month.
At Amazon, our goal is to build and design products that last for the long-term and create solutions that help lower our customers’ energy usage.
Here are our top tips to keep in mind this Earth Month and beyond.
-
1.Automatically adjust the Amazon Smart Thermostat to choose cleaner energy
The electricity in our neighborhoods is often powered by several different energy sources, including solar, wind, and fossil fuels, that can change throughout the day—meaning at certain times, your home may be using cleaner energy sources that emit less CO2.
Alexa can automatically adjust your Amazon Smart Thermostat’s set point—the temperature that your thermostat turns on and off—by one degree to align with when there may be lower emissions on the energy grid in your area. To enable this feature, select your thermostat device in the Amazon Alexa app → tap the Settings icon → tap Choose Cleaner Energy.
You can also use Vacation Mode to let Alexa hold your thermostat at a set temperature range to prevent your home from getting too hot or cold while you’re away. To enable this feature, select your thermostat device in the Amazon Alexa App → tap the Settings icon → select Vacation Mode.
Plus, Amazon Smart Thermostat is ENERGY STAR certified, and certified thermostats save customers an average of $50 per year according to EPA estimates. And, Amazon Smart Thermostat works with Routines and Hunches—more on that below.
-
2.Make the most of Alexa Routines
Alexa Routines can help you manage your energy usage by turning devices off based on the time of day, your schedule, or an utterance. For example, you can set a Routine that turns off all your smart devices or lowers the set point temperature on your smart thermostat when you say “Alexa, it’s bed time” or “Alexa, I’m heading out.” If you’ve turned on location services, you can also set Routines to start when you leave or arrive home.
To enable an Energy Saving featured Routine, open the Alexa app and select Routines from the More menu → tap View All next to Featured Categories → tap on Energy Saving and choose from the available options → tap Save and your new Routine is ready to use.
Or, create your own custom routine from scratch by opening the Routines section in the Alexa app and tapping the + button in the top right-hand corner.
-
3.Let Hunches help do the work
Just like a human does, Alexa can have a hunch. There are two types of Hunches: suggestions and automatic actions. If you enable suggestions, Alexa can predict when a connected smart home device isn't in its usual state. If Alexa has a hunch you're asleep or away from home, you'll receive a notification asking if a specific light or plug should still be on.
If enabled, Alexa can also act on hunches for some devices like lights, thermostats, robot vacuums, and water heaters. For example, Alexa can proactively turn off your lights at night if Alexa has a hunch you're asleep.
To turn Hunches on/off, open the Alexa app → open More and tap Settings → scroll down, select Hunches → select the Settings icon → under Suggestions, turn on or off Hunch suggestions.
-
4.Use energy efficiency features on Echo, Fire TV, and eero
Echo and Fire TV devices automatically reduce their energy consumption when they’re idle by using Low Power Mode. When idle, a compatible device will enter low power mode until it’s used again—whether that’s by voice or someone walking up to an Echo Show.
We also recently released a new power-saving feature in beta for eero Max 7 and eero PoE Gateway called Eco Efficiency Mode that intelligently matches the Ethernet port speed to your internet service provider speed. So, if your modem is plugged in to the 10 Gigabit Ethernet port on your eero Max 7, but your internet plan is limited to 2 Gbps, Eco Efficiency Mode will automatically adjust the speed at the port to match what your ISP provides to save you energy.
To enable or disable Eco Efficiency Mode, open the eero app and tap Settings → tap Network Settings → tap Eco Efficiency → tap the slider on/off.
-
5.Set up Routines with the Amazon Smart Air Quality monitor
The Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor makes it easy to understand the quality of your indoor air. You can pair it with Routines to turn your Alexa-enabled devices—such as air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and fans—on and off when the indoor air quality changes.
If Alexa detects poor air quality, you can also get notifications sent to your phone or even announcements on Echo devices.
-
6.Trade in your used devices
We offer a Trade-in program that recycles or restores old or unused devices, giving them a renewed life. Customers who trade in their items receive a digital gift card, while customers who buy the restored items save money and can feel good about keeping a device in use.
Even if your device isn’t in good enough condition to resell, Amazon will help you send it to an approved recycler, providing you the possibility of still receiving a promotional discount.
We hope these tips can help you make the most of your Amazon devices and features this Earth Month! Learn more about how Amazon is investing in sustainability.
