Comparisons
Compare before you buy
Specs, running costs and honest trade-offs for the upgrades people ask about most.
Smart vs non-smart, side by side
Three comparisons that decide most energy-saving upgrades: LED vs incandescent bulbs, a whole-home energy monitor vs a single plug meter, and a smart thermostat vs a manual dial.
LED vs Incandescent
The classic bulb question, answered with watts, lumens and annual running cost.
Metric LED Incandescent Watts for 800 lm 9 W 60 W Annual cost (3 hrs/day) $1.68 $11.17 Rated life 15,000+ hrs 1,000 hrs Verdict: LED for almost every fixture
Read the full comparisonEnergy monitor vs plug meter
Whole-home visibility versus a focused, lower-cost way to measure one appliance.
Metric Home monitor Plug meter Coverage Whole home One outlet Installation Panel setup Plug in Best for Usage patterns Device testing Verdict: Choose based on how much you need to measure
Read the full comparisonSmart thermostat vs manual
Automated setbacks against remembering to adjust the dial yourself.
Metric Smart Manual Automatic setbacks Yes No Usage reporting Monthly detail None Upfront cost $$$ $ Verdict: Smart, if you have central HVAC
Read the full comparison
Browse by product category
Eleven categories of energy-saving hardware, each with what it does, what it saves and who it suits.
Smart LED bulbs
Roughly 80% less lighting energy than incandescent, plus schedules and dimming.
Lowest cost per watt saved
Smart switches & dimmers
Control whole fixtures at the wall — dimming cuts draw and extends lamp life.
Works with existing fixtures
Smart thermostats
Automatic setbacks on the biggest line of most US electric bills.
Utility rebates often available
Energy-efficient ceiling fans
DC-motor fans let you raise the thermostat a few degrees without feeling it.
Cheap comfort vs running AC
Smart plugs
Measure and schedule any plug-in device so nothing draws power unwatched.
Finds phantom loads fast
Home energy monitors
Whole-home, circuit-level visibility so you act on data instead of guesses.
Best for serious bill hunting
Motion & occupancy sensors
Lights that turn themselves off in the rooms everyone forgets.
Ideal for halls, closets, garages
Smart power strips
Kill standby draw across an entire desk or media centre in one move.
Great for TV and office clusters
Energy-efficient appliances
Fridges, washers and dishwashers where efficiency ratings really move the bill.
Biggest long-term replacements
Outdoor smart lighting
Dusk-to-dawn and motion control so exterior lights never burn all night.
Security without the runtime
Solar & backup energy
Panels, portable power stations and batteries for offsetting or riding out outages.
Longest payback, biggest ceiling
Smart home hubs
One controller that ties bulbs, plugs, sensors and thermostats into automations that actually run.
Makes automations reliable
LED strip & task lighting
Low-wattage task light so you stop lighting a whole room to do one job.
A few watts instead of hundreds
Smart displays & family hubs
Screens and voice hubs that put schedules, routines and device control in one place.
Best paired with off-at-night routines
Bulb technology, head to head
| Metric | Incandescent | Halogen | CFL | LED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical wattage | 60 W | 43 W | 14 W | 9 W |
| Light output | ~800 lm | ~800 lm | ~800 lm | ~800 lm |
| Efficacy | ~13 lm/W | ~19 lm/W | ~57 lm/W | ~89 lm/W |
| Rated life | 1,000 hrs | 2,000 hrs | 8,000 hrs | 15,000–25,000 hrs |
| Energy cost / yr (3 hrs/day @ $0.17) | $11.17 | $8.00 | $2.61 | $1.68 |
| Warm-up time | Instant | Instant | 30–90 sec | Instant |
| Dimmable | Yes | Yes | Only special models | Model dependent |
| Contains mercury | No | No | Yes — recycle | No |
| Heat output | Very high | High | Low | Low |
Full product spec table
Prefer image-led cards with search and category filters? Browse the full product list.
| Product | Category | Best for | Price | Score |
|---|