Anyone adjusting smart plug schedules to avoid power spikes?

[SinnohRowan]

I finally turned on all the holiday lights and realized my smart plugs are working a lot harder than usual. Everything runs fine most of the time but I can see brief spikes when multiple plugs kick on at once. It made me wonder if I should be staggering schedules more carefully.

Has anyone optimized their smart plug timing during the holidays to smooth things out. I am curious if small changes like delayed start times or grouping loads differently actually make a noticeable difference in overall efficiency.

 

[Alan]

Holiday lighting definitely changes how smart plugs behave once everything starts switching at the same time. Those little spikes are easy to miss until you’re watching closely.

Did you notice the spikes mostly when everything turns on together, or even during normal schedules?

 

[Master_Odin]

I thought about staggering, but honestly didn’t see enough impact to stress over it. The spikes are short and the plugs handle it fine. I only adjusted schedules for the heavier loads.

 

[barfle]

Strings of LEDs won’t give your system any problems. If you have incandescent lights or motors for animation or blow-ups, I’d sequence their startups.

 

[Gadragora_Malroth]

I ended up grouping smart plugs by where they’re actually plugged in, like same outlet or same circuit, and then staggering inside each group. In Home Automation it’s easy to accidentally spread stuff around and forget what’s sharing a circuit. I also split “must have lights” and “extra lights” so I can keep the vibe without turning everything on at max all the time. What platform are you using for scheduling, the plug app or something like Home Assistant?