Homelab Dashboard - Part I

Most if us have some type of automation in our home, if not for convenience then at least simplicity. I will give you 2 reasons I use automation.

My Health

Due to my kidney failure, I need to go to dialysis 3 days per week. When I come home from it my blood pressure plummets I crash, often falling asleep 2 minutes after sitting in my recliner just minutes after getting home at 5PM. Usually I do not wake up until 1PM the following day, then I deal with 6-7 hours of nausea. I am weak, I know.

So It is super convenient that I can simply say "Alexa, set the thermostat to 75 degrees and turn off the kitchen lights". Or even when I am at the clinic I get an instant audio and video connection to my doorbell and can tell the pharmacy delivery driver that I will be home in 2 hours. Or I can say "Alexa turn on my slow cooker and start my coffee pot" all while I am away at the doctor's office. It just makes life easier.

My Budget

The first 3 months I after moving into my apartment my electricity bill was $230. Not for the sake of saving money but for the mobility issues I installed a smart thermostat. My electric bill went down to $150 immediately. Then also for mobility reasons I installed smart LED lights into every light bulb socket. I also bought a Ring doorbell because it was on sale for $49 during Black Friday (super nice for Amazon deliveries, and when the doorbell rings it automatically connect the video to my TV). Didn't think I would like it much, but I did.

So what happened after the lights were installed? Foremost it saved a lot of strain and hassle. But the real kicker was my electricity bill dropped again, It now averages $94 per month. I went from $230 to $94 So if that isn't motivation enough for you to automate some things in your home then you are probably trying to hang out with the wrong guy haha...

So what is a Homelab and what is a Homelab Dashboard? I will tell you in Part II. I need to get some sleep right now.