Home automation heating solutions are a most interesting option for those who do not want to be cold this winter and at the same time optimize their energy expenditure. But not everything has to be buying a smart thermostat or, failing that, opting for a connected stove: A modest and cheap smart plug is enough to combat the cold.
In my parents’ house, although there is a wood heating system, there is no lack of a small old electric stove that comes to us from the movies, for example to heat the bathroom before showering or when I have to telework there, that in the morning and just after ventilating it is not the right thing to sit in front of the computer.
From old stove to connected stove in the blink of an eye
The stove in question is an old acquaintance in many homes: with anti-tip system, a pair of quartz bars and mechanical switch (or roulette) that become red hot in a very short time and I would say that he has been at home for more years than me. Very similar to the one you see on these lines. Well, for a while now I have modernized the stove with a spare smart plug.
Can I connect any stove to any plug connected? This question is extensive to any other electrical device and the answer is no, it essentially depends on two factors: the maximum power supported by the plug and that the device has a classic physical handling, with switches, roulette wheels, etc. And as we’ve seen, my stove has the most rustic controls in the world. Now play the little business electric.
Two key points so that there is no disaster: the power of the stove and the technical specifications of the smart plug. From the plug we are interested in knowing the maximum power or the maximum intensity supported (the usual range is between 10 – 16 Amps), it does not matter to us, because refreshing the physics of the institution a bit:
Power (W) = voltage (V) x current (A)
Taking into account that the domestic voltage is 230V, we can obtain by direct calculation What is the maximum power that the stove that we are going to plug in can have?. The stove in question is 1000W and the plug is the Xiaomi Mi Smart Power Plug (13 euros), which I bought at an offer for less than 10 euros and which is designed to work in a voltage range of 220 – 240 V, maximum intensity. 16 A and maximum power of 3680 W. Good signal.
Thus, I can connect or disconnect the stove from the mobile without having to get up. What’s more, I can even set it to come into action ten minutes before I start working and thus find the room at a more pleasant temperature. I can also program some periods of operation, for example those 10 minutes before starting work and then turning on for five minutes every hour until we turn on the heating. Have I left it on or off? I can look at it directly on the mobile and proceed to turn it off. I am not feeling cold and I try to optimize its use as much as possible.
As I already told in another article, what I bought in my old and poorly insulated apartment was a connected stove, a wonderful investment that It allows us to start it remotely for a while before returning from the trip, imagine that house at 13 degrees after being away for two weeks at Christmas. Thanks to this montage, we could also do the same thing at my parents’ house.
Hot water without wasting electricity
There are few things that temper more than a good warm shower. In my previous house I had central heating and the hot water worked through an electric water heater. Taking into account that I lived alone and its large size, the first thing I did when I arrived at that property (I clarify, the first thing was to change all those bulbs to low-consumption LEDs) was to put precisely that plug in the middle. The goal was have hot water for a good shower, scrubbing and other tasks and that the thermos worked just and necessary.
The thermos in question was a classic model with a simple roulette mechanism to choose the temperature and a physical switchno programming functions… until I put the plug on it.
From that moment and with a simple start-up routine from 4 to 6 in the morning every day (when I went on vacation I stopped it) I managed to save by using an electric water heater without running out of hot water.
