Save money and monitor your energy use with these cheap smart plugs

With all of us more conscious about our energy use right now, we're all looking for ways to be smarter about the amount we use to save cash. While claims about certain 'vampire devices' that suck up considerable amounts of energy even when on standby can be disputed, you can go some way to limit their potential impact with some cheap but extremely useful smart home tech. That's exactly what this pair of TP-Link Tapo Smart Plugs with Energy Monitoring can do for just £18.99 from Amazon.

This discounted set comes with two smart plugs and is currently £9 less than the usual price. They offer a cheap, easy and convenient way to check the energy usage of devices over a specific period of time and also take better control of important devices around the home by simply connecting to your existing sockets.

For example, the energy-saving features include the option to set timers so sockets are switched off after a period of use, such as after fully charging a phone. Or you can put sockets on a schedule, so they only activate during specific times of day - good for lights in the living room or the coffee machine in the kitchen you only need to be switched on in the morning.

These functions are all accessed through an app on your smartphone, which also offers remote control and voice control functions through Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices such as the Echo Dot and Nest Hub. These smart plugs are handy, easy-to-use and they could genuinely give you a better understanding of your energy use to save money - all for less than £20.

Today's best smart plug deal

TP-Link Tapo Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring: £27.99 £18.99 at Amazon
Save £9 – A fantastic low price for a pair of smart plugs that offer a suite of features to control your devices and monitor your energy use. You can use them with any existing socket and connect an assortment of devices such as chargers, lights, small appliances and more. Remote control, voice control, scheduled and more are all handled in the free smartphone app. Today's offer is just £1 away from the recent record low.

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We think there's never been a better time to invest in smart plugs here at TechRadar. Even more so this pair from TP-Link is available for such a low price. There are other more expensive options out there that offer even more advanced features, but this is a more reasonable price to pay for a simple set to get you started. The manufacturer also features highly on our list of the best smart plugs available to buy right now.

If you find them useful then do check in for more reductions during this year's Black Friday deals, which are bound to feature other popular energy-saving products. We'll bring you the best of these, too, including all the top Black Friday Air Fryer deals.