There are some energy saving ideas which are easy to promote but not so easy to implement. We're only human, after all, so things like using heating systems in the middle of the night when energy is cheapest, detecting leaks and switching off lights in empty rooms can be time-consuming or disruptive.

This is where automated "smart" home systems come into play. They can minimize power wastage by switching off electrical components that are not in use, detect empty rooms and switch off lights and power, allow you to turn off all your lights with one switch, use off-peak energy to power heating and cooling systems and provide a variety of other conservation benefits.

On top of that, they can provide 24/7 monitoring to spot leaks and "vampire loads" – gadgets and appliances that are constantly using power, often unexpectedly.

The down sides to automation are fairly obvious. Firstly, there's the cost: the amount they save you may mean the installation takes a long time to pay for itself – too long if you need to update or upgrade components (though those costs can be reduced by ensuring each part of the system can be replaced individually).

Secondly, automation systems use power and their components represent an additional amount of energy in manufacture and resources. You'll have to balance that cost against the potential savings.

An additional consideration is whether an automated system really can manage your home better than the people living in it. While it may be difficult for humans to learn new, energy-efficient habits, once they're learned they don't need a power-consuming system to maintain.