We all know time is a precious commodity. According to survey data, 57% of smart home device users in the U.S. claim their devices save them time every day.  Just like setting up automated payments saves you the headache of remembering when your bills are due, so can scheduling tasks on a smart device.

What can you schedule on a smart device?

There are nearly endless possibilities for what you can schedule on your home smart devices, but we’ll take a look at five of the most useful options.

Smart thermostat

According to Energy Star, the average U.S. household spends over $900 a year on cooling and heating. With a smart thermostat, you can create a schedule to help lower your costs. After you’ve manually entered temperature settings for a few days, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat learns your habits and creates a schedule for you. Most smart thermostats require you to enter a custom schedule yourself, but this is easy to do on the corresponding app.

There are two types of schedules: daily, which lets you program a different schedule for each day, or weekly, which follows the same schedule all week long. Some smart thermostats sense when you leave or enter your home, automatically adjusting the temperature based on your set preferences. A smart thermostat with multi-room or zone settings also allow you to adjust the settings in each part of your home.

Smart lighting

Along with potentially saving money on your electric bill, smart lighting has other benefits. You can control smart lighting from your phone, Bluetooth, and WiFi. Forget to turn off your lights before leaving the house? Want to turn on the porch light before coming home after a late night? Hoping to deter robbers while you are out of town by keeping a light on? Smart bulbs can do all those things and more.

If you want a gentle a.m. wakeup call, schedule your smart lighting to turn on automatically. Likewise, your lighting can be scheduled to turn off at bedtime or to dim when it’s time to wind down for the night. You can control your home’s lighting system all from a single app.

Sprinkler system

With a smart sprinkler, you can create a tailored schedule based on the specific needs of your lawn and environment. These include plant type, soil type, sun exposure, and more. With the app linked to your smart sprinkler, you can control your lawn care system from anywhere. Whether you’re traveling for work or on vacation, your garden will stay watered. Some smart sprinklers also use real-time weather data to automatically meet your needs. If it rains, for instance, your smart sprinkler will detect this and cancel automatic watering for the day.

Dehumidifier/humidifier

Whether the air in your home is too dry or too damp, a smart humidifier or dehumidifier will do the trick. These devices can detect if the air isn’t optimal for your preset needs. They automatically combat the issue by adding or subtracting moisture from the area. And once the desired humidity is reached, the unit will turn off on its own. This is beneficial for people with allergies, as well as being great for your skin, indoor pets, and house plants.

Home security system

While the main goal of a security system is to defend your home from intruders, smart security systems can do so much more. Nowadays, the best security systems also feature voice, climate control, and lighting control, as well as two-way audio, keyless entry, and live video footage. You can sync all of your smart devices into one smart home hub.

Smart security cameras and doorbells automatically start recording when they detect motion. Plus, they can be programmed to send notifications to your phone so you can watch live. On the app, you can program your preferred settings. For example, preset your front door to lock and the video to start recording—but leave the back door unlocked to easily take your dog on bathroom breaks. Simply set that program whenever you’re ready with the click of a button.

What else can smart devices do for you?

Along with scheduling important tasks in your everyday life, smart devices can automate your life in other ways. There are smart gardening tools, such as smart plant pot and grow lights. Smart pet technology can help our furry friends too—and help us take care of them better. You can also build your dream smart home office and incorporate smart devices into your summer road trip plans.

How has smart technology improved your life? Drop us a comment below.