Best Smart Home Energy Saving Kits Under $100

You don't need a thousand-dollar overhaul to start shrinking your utility bills. A handful of sub-$100 smart home devices — smart plugs that track phantom loads, weather-aware sprinkler controllers that skip rain days, and a budget automation hub — can pay for themselves in a single season by trimming wasted electricity and water.

We focused on the cheapest path to real savings: devices that are budget-priced, genuinely energy- or water-relevant, and easy to self-install. No electrician required, no panel upgrades, no $429 EV chargers6. Just plug-and-play and modest DIY.

> How we picked: Every device here costs under $100, addresses a specific utility bill (electricity or water), and can be installed without professional help. We ranked them by energy-savings impact per dollar — the cheapest wins that actually move the needle.

1. Kasa Smart Plug Mini with Energy Monitoring

The cheapest direct electricity-savings device you can buy.

Phantom loads — the trickle of power your TV, gaming console, and charger bricks draw even when "off" — can account for a surprising chunk of your monthly bill. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini doesn't just cut power on a schedule; it measures how much each device is actually using, so you can see exactly where your watts are going1.

Plug one into an entertainment center, set a schedule to kill power overnight, and repeat around the house. At budget pricing per unit, a small fleet of these is the fastest ROI move on this list — no installation, no tools, just Wi-Fi and the Kasa app.

Why it ranks #1: Lowest cost, zero install friction, and it attacks the most universal utility bill (electricity). Pair a few around the home and the savings compound.

2. Orbit B-hyve Smart Sprinkler Controller

The biggest water-bill lever under $100.

If you have a yard with an in-ground irrigation system, your sprinkler controller is quietly one of the largest water — and if you're on a well, electricity — consumers in your home. The Orbit B-hyve replaces your dumb timer with a weather-aware controller that pulls local forecast data and automatically skips watering when rain is predicted2.

Installation is a moderate DIY project: you swap out the old controller on your wall and reconnect the zone wires. The app handles scheduling, weather adjustments, and manual overrides. For anyone watering a lawn through a dry summer, the water savings can be substantial — often enough to recover the purchase price within a single irrigation season.

Why it ranks #2: Water is expensive and often wasted. Weather-based skipping is the single most effective automation for outdoor water use, and the B-hyve delivers it at an accessible price.

3. Wyze Smart Sprinkler Controller

An even cheaper entry into smart irrigation.

Wyze's take on the smart sprinkler controller covers the same core ground as the B-hyve — app-based scheduling, weather-based skipping to prevent watering during rain3 — at an even more aggressive price point. If you're budget-constrained or have a smaller yard with fewer zones, this is the value pick.

The trade-off is in polish: the weather-skipping logic is more basic, and the app experience isn't as refined as Orbit's. But if your goal is simply to stop watering on rainy days without spending more than necessary, Wyze gets the job done.

Why it ranks #3: Same water-saving category as the B-hyve at a lower price, but with fewer features and a less mature app. Pick this if you want the cheapest viable sprinkler upgrade.

4. Netro Sprite Smart Sprinkler Controller

For users who want data on their water savings.

Netro Sprite takes a slightly different angle on smart irrigation: it's built around water conservation as a first principle, with intelligent scheduling that adapts to soil type, plant needs, and local weather4. Where it stands out is usage tracking — the app shows you how much water you're using and saving over time, which is invaluable if you want to quantify your ROI or justify the upgrade to a household budget meeting.

Like the other controllers here, installation is a moderate DIY swap. The Sprite is a strong choice for gardeners and data-minded homeowners who want more than on/off scheduling.

Why it ranks #4: Excellent water-conservation features and usage tracking, but slightly more niche than the B-hyve's broader appeal. Best for users who want to see their savings in numbers.

5. Aqara Hub M1S

The automation enabler that makes everything else smarter.

The Aqara Hub M1S isn't a savings device on its own — it's the glue. This compact Zigbee hub connects Aqara's ecosystem of sensors, switches, and buttons, enabling automations like "turn all lights off when everyone leaves" or "cut power to the entertainment center at midnight"5. It supports HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Assistant, so it plays well with whatever ecosystem you've already started.

The catch: the hub needs sensors (door/window sensors, motion sensors, presence sensors) to actually trigger savings automations, and those are separate purchases. Think of the M1S as the foundation — you'll spend a bit more to build out the full system, but the per-device cost stays well under $100.

Why it ranks #5: It's an enabler, not a direct saver. The hub itself is budget-priced, but you'll need to add sensors to unlock its energy-saving potential. Worth it if you're building a whole-home automation strategy.

How They Compare

Smart plugs deliver electricity savings with the fastest ROI and zero installation. Sprinkler controllers tackle water waste — a seasonal but often larger bill line item — with modest DIY install. The hub is an enabler: it won't save you money on its own, but it unlocks whole-home automations that compound the savings from your other devices.

What We Excluded (and Why)

EV chargers like the Emporia Classic ($429)6 and smart thermostats like the Ecobee deliver bigger absolute savings, but they exceed our $100 budget. If you can stretch your budget, a smart thermostat is arguably the single highest-impact energy device for most homes — but that's a different article.

Recomate may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. That doesn't change our picks — we recommend what we'd actually buy ourselves.

Want a follow-up the article didn't answer? Ask the engine — it carries the article's context.