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Best of CES: The smart home energy-use ecosystem debuted at CES, putting a more efficient home right at your fingertips.

Schneider Electric debuted its complete smart home energy ecosystem at CES 2023 and was awarded a CES 2023 Innovation Award for the app that brings it all together. When fully deployed, Schneider Home can save you money on energy, maximize your home's efficiency and even provide a little peace of mind, the company said.

Schneider Home is one of the most complete smart home energy management systems on the market. You can think of it like a smart home ecosystem. Instead of asking Alexa to order more toilet paper or having Google put your smart locks on a schedule, Schneider Home can schedule your energy use and give you remote control at the breaker and outlet level. 

While there is often some overlap between current smart home systems (for example, a smart speaker might turn off your lights) and other energy management systems (your solar company's app might monitor your battery's charge and discharge schedules), Schneider Home aims to bring whole-home energy management into one system.

The Schneider Home system includes a backup battery, solar inverter, smart electrical panel, electric vehicle charger and smart light switches and sockets, which can be purchased all at once or installed piecemeal and will become available throughout 2023. It can all be controlled from the Schneider Home app.

As natural gas (and electricity) gets more expensive and Inflation Reduction Act incentives for electrification kick in for 2023, greater control of one's electricity usage can save people money over time, especially as they switch from gas vehicles and appliances to electric ones.

Schneider Home should be able to help you save in a number of ways. For example, electric vehicle owners will be able to schedule when their cars charge, timing it to when electricity rates are cheapest, or to charge their cars directly from solar panels. And the more forgetful among us will be able to remotely shut off lights and devices individually at the outlet or switch level, or in groups at the breaker level. 

Schneider Home also lets you establish an Away Mode: a preset that turns off breakers, switches and outlets that control nonessential devices like televisions and other energy vampires , as well as potentially dangerous devices like stoves while you're out of the house. 

As people swap gas-powered items like vehicles or stoves for electric ones, they'll use more electricity. Schneider Home might be able to keep homeowners from exceeding usage limits that might bump them into a higher rate, Schneider representatives said.

Schneider Home looks like it could make it easier to balance your energy needs and lifestyle with the rising costs of energy.

This product has been selected as one of the best products of CES 2023. Check out the other Best of CES 2023 award winners.