Save Money, Power With The Latest In Energy-Efficient Gadgets

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — Looking to save energy and a little green? Meg Matt, CEO of the Association of Energy Services Professionals, has the answer!

Matt visited the KCAL9 studios Monday to share some of the newest energy efficient gadgets.

SMART THERMOSTAT
There are many programmable thermostats on the market that do some amazing things and save you a lot of money when heating and cooling your home.

The most exciting thing about this is that you download an app to your phone – yes there's an app for that – and you can control the temperature in your home from wherever you are. You can also check the outside temperature to see if the temperature inside should go up or down.

These types of models range in price from $99 to $249, but they will save you a third of your home energy costs. Plus they are getting better looking; you can buy them in different colors and program the screen to match the color of your wall.

POWER STRIP
These devices sense when something like your computer or television isn't being used, and then shuts down power to all the peripherals, like your printer, speakers, DVD and CD players, and video game sets. When these things are plugged in and left on, they use what is known as standby power. So that's a terrible waste.

They run from $35-$50, but they will save more than $100/year.

SHOWER START
The Evolve Roadrunner will detect when the water is hot, and slow down to a trickle until you are ready to get in and start your shower.

The shower head will cost about $40, and it will save a family of 3 more than $200 and more than 7,600 gallons of water a year. Its available ShowerStart.com

HOT WATER CARD
With this card, you run your water as hot as it gets right on the card, and it tells you if it your water heater is set higher than it ever needs to be, so that you can adjust your hot water heater appropriately.

You can pick this up for about $3 and you save $10/month for every 10 degrees that you lower your hot water heater. And most people will find they can lower theirs without even noticing it. This is made by AM Conservation Group.

For more tips and gadgets, visit the Association of Energy Services Professionals online.