Home Energy Management

Know where every
dollar goes.

Before you buy solar, find out where your electricity is actually going. A $200 energy monitor pays for itself in 6 months. A $249 smart thermostat saves $150-300 every year. Start here.

$150-300Smart thermostat/yr6 monthsEnergy monitor payback40-50%Of your bill is HVAC
Find my power →
The right order

Build your energy stack
in this order.

Most people buy solar first. That's backwards. HVAC is 40-50% of your electricity bill. Fix that first with a smart thermostat. Then monitor what's left. Then add solar to offset what remains. The payback math works out dramatically better in this order.

Step 01
Smart thermostat
Cost$59-249
Savings$150-300/yr
Payback18 months
HVAC is your biggest load. Automate it first.
Step 02
Energy monitor
Cost$100-300
Savings10-15% of bill
Payback6 months
Find every hidden load dragging your bill up.
Step 03
Solar panels
Cost$600-15,000
Savings$90-800+/yr
Payback4-12 years
Now you know exactly how much solar you need.
Step 04
Smart panel
Cost$3,500-5,000
SavingsAutomates everything
Payback3-5 years
For homes with solar + battery + EV. Not for everyone.
Step 01 - Smart thermostats

Cut your HVAC bill
by 10-15% automatically.

HVAC accounts for 40-50% of the average American electricity bill. A smart thermostat learns your schedule, adjusts automatically, and enrolls in demand response programs that pay you credits when the grid is stressed.

At $150/month average bill:
$180-270
saved per year from smart thermostat automation alone
SOL COUNTRY PICK
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
$249
Demand response enrolled
SmartSensor for room accuracy
Works with Alexa/Google/Apple
Best overall for savings
Buy on Amazon →
Google Nest Learning
$179
Self-learning schedule
Works with Google Home
Most popular thermostat
Easy to install
Buy on Amazon →
BEST VALUE
Amazon Smart Thermostat
$59
Alexa built-in
Energy Star certified
Best budget option
Works with most HVAC systems
Buy on Amazon →

All three qualify for HEAR rebates in participating states. Sol Country checks your state's rebate availability in Find My Power.

Step 02 - Energy monitors

Find every watt
wasting your money.

Most homeowners have no idea what's using their electricity. A home energy monitor shows every circuit in real time - so you can find the old fridge in the garage that's costing $200/year and the phantom loads draining power while you sleep.

What homeowners typically find:
Old second fridgemost common hidden load
$180-240/yr
Pool pump (peak hours)can be scheduled off-peak
$300+/yr
Always-on devicesTVs, gaming consoles, modems
$100-200/yr
HVAC inefficiencywrong size or degraded
$200-400/yr
SOL COUNTRY PICK
Emporia Vue 3
$200
16 circuit-level CT clamps
±1-2% accuracy
Solar + net metering compatible
Best value in home monitoring
Buy on Amazon →
Sense Energy Monitor
$299
AI device detection
No circuit clamps needed
Good for renters / no panel access
Identifies individual appliances
Buy on Amazon →
Emporia vs Sense: Choose Emporia if you can access your breaker panel and want exact circuit data. Choose Sense if you want AI device detection without installing hardware on breakers.
Smart plugs

Stop phantom loads
before they add up.

Smart plugs are the fastest payback device in home energy. At $15-25 each, they cut power to devices that draw electricity while "off" - TVs, gaming consoles, chargers, and coffee makers. Most homeowners recover the cost in under 3 months.

At $150/month average bill:
$50-100
saved per year from eliminating phantom loads with smart plugs
Emporia Smart Plug
~$25/pack
Energy monitoring per outlet
App scheduling & automation
Works with Emporia Vue ecosystem
High volume, easy impulse buy
Buy on Amazon →
Amazon Smart Plug
~$15
Extremely high volume seller
Native Alexa integration
Zero setup with Echo devices
Best budget smart plug
Buy on Amazon →
Kasa Smart Plug
~$20
Reliable TP-Link hardware
Kasa app scheduling & scenes
Works with Alexa & Google
Compact design, no hub needed
Buy on Amazon →

Smart plugs are the fastest way to hit the Amazon Associates 3-sale minimum. Even small commissions add up at high volume.

Step 04 - Smart panels

The panel that manages
everything automatically.

The Span smart panel replaces your electrical panel and gives you circuit-level control from your phone. It automatically manages solar, battery, and EV charging - shifting loads to the cheapest times and protecting critical circuits during outages.

Sol Country's honest take:
The Span panel makes the most sense when you're already replacing an aging panel, installing solar + battery, or building new. At $3,500-5,000 installed, it's hard to justify as a standalone upgrade when a $200 Emporia provides 80% of the monitoring benefit.
Span smart panel
$3,500-5,000 installed
Circuit-level control via app
Solar + battery + EV integration
Automatic load management
Outage protection built-in
Requires licensed electrician
Get a Span quote →
Get paid by the grid

Your thermostat can
earn you money.

Demand response programs pay you to reduce your energy use during peak grid demand - usually hot summer afternoons when air conditioning stresses the grid. Your smart thermostat adjusts automatically. You earn credits on your bill without doing anything.

Utility demand response
Available · Most utilities nationwide
$25-150/yr in credits
Enroll your thermostat. Grid adjusts it automatically during peak events.
OhmConnect
Available · TX · CA · NY
$100-300+/yr
Alerts before peak events. Reduce usage, earn OhmHours. Cash out via PayPal.
Xcel Battery Connect
Available · Colorado only
$250/kW upfront + $100/yr for 5 years
Currently closed - may reopen mid-2026.
Closed
Find my power →
Where to start

Which devices make
sense for your home?

I want the fastest paybackSmart thermostat - 18 months
I want to know where my money is goingEmporia Vue 3 energy monitor
I have solar or battery and want to automateSpan smart panel
I want to earn money from the gridEnroll in demand response
Run Find My Power →
For personalized recommendation including HEMS readiness score.

Find your complete
energy savings picture.

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By The Sol Country Team·Last reviewed: July 2026·Editorial standards
Sources

Primary sources for this article

Sol Country reviews these sources on a rolling basis. See our editorial standards for how we source and update data.