By now, everyone knows Alexa. If you don’t know, Alexa is Amazon’s voice assistant that you can use as your Virtual Assistant and turn your house into a Smart Home. The Amazon Echo Dot is a great hands-free, voice-controlled device that allows Alexa to control your lights, thermostat, and other smart home devices all with a simple set-up. Alexa will play your favorite music, call your contacts, send messages, set alarms (to the tune of your favorite artist), and give your recipes and so much more.
When we got our Echo Dot, I was all about making my life easier, keeping our home’s temperature controlled and most importantly energy efficient. And I can do all that with the help of Direct Energy! Currently, people living in serviceable zip codes can get a low rate on electricity for two years and can with their Power on Command plan, which comes with an Amazon Echo Dot!. Once you receive your very own Echo Dot you can start to transform your house into a smart home. by visiting Direct Energy.
In addition to staying energy efficient with Direct Energy, here are my top tips to get the most out of your home with the Amazon Echo Dot that you’ll get when you sign up for the Power on Command plan
In the Kitchen
One of the best ways to keep the heat out of your home when it comes to cooking is to use a slow cooker. Throughout the summer I have been incorporating some of my favorite recipes and making them into slow cooker meals. With the Amazon Dot, I just plug in my slow cooker, set a timer and tell Alexa when I want my meal to start cooking. This works great for my lazy weekends and especially since my slow cooker does not have a timer. Check out my slow cooker lasagna recipe on Instagram that I created on one of the hottest days.
One of the best ways to keep the heat out of your home when it comes to cooking is to use a slow cooker. Throughout the summer I have been incorporating some of my favorite recipes and making them into slow cooker meals. With the Amazon Dot, I just plug my slow cooker into one of my smart plugs, set a timer and tell Alexa when I want my meal to start cooking. This works great for my lazy weekends and especially since my slow cooker does not have a timer. Check out my slow cooker lasagna recipe on Instagram that I created on one of the hottest days.
For the Lights
One of the things I love about the Amazon Echo Dot is the ability to turn the lights on and off. Since getting my Amazon Echo Dot, I have used the “Just With Your Voice” feature where Alexa can play your favorite playlist, set a timer while cooking, switch your lights on and off, or even read off your Direct Energy account balance, pay your bill and share your weekly and monthly energy usage. I have my Echo Dot on my nightstand, but the range is perfect, it can control several rooms in my upstairs. I can go to bed and control my living room lights.
The wonderful thing about the Echo Dot is the monthly energy usage feature from the Direct Energy skill. Alexa helps me keep track of usage so I don’t exceed my budget. Direct Energy and my Echo Dot are a perfect combination for saving money, especially in rooms where the light usage is too high (i.e. kids rooms). We will definitely be adding more Amazon Echo Dots to our home to help save a few extra dollars, not only during these warmer months but also for every season.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Direct Energy. The opinions and text are all mine.