If you’re forgetful, smart bulbs can save money by turning themselves off after a timer expires or on a schedule. Or in my case, I have cats that have a litter box room and won’t use it in the dark. A smart bulb and a motion detector mean I don’t have to run a bespoke fluorescent bulb 24/7 to light the room (because that’s cheaper than replacing the fixture)

If you’re going for a cohesive ecosystem, consider hubs like Alexa or Google Home.

Don’t use closed corporate automation platforms that spy on you and require internet. For only a bit more work and research, you can make a much more customizable smart home that can survive an Internet outage and doesn’t have constant phoning home. Home assistant (!homeassistant@lemmy.world) is an amazing platform that I’ve been using for a few years, and I will never go back.

As soon as you stop buying pre built SmArT shit and cobble the same together from regular components. I get a smart TV experience from a dumb tv/projector and a media PC with remote access or local kb/m. In the past I had a harmony remote that made it much closer to the real experience

Stop gobbling up corporate slop and these issues stop being an issue. You just have to deal with less slick experiences, but it’s worth it imo.

That’s only ~17 hours a day if you take a weekend, or a breezy 12 hour day if you choose not to take off.

I wish we could make these assholes work the shifts they want to make others work.