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CES 2026's Best Smart-Home Gadgets — And How to Power Them with Solar

ppowersupplier

2026-01-21 12:00:00

11 min read

CES 2026 devices are smarter — learn exact PV & battery plans to run gadgets like Amazfit and Govee from rooftop solar.

Hook: CES 2026 gadgets are brilliant — but who pays the electricity bill?

CES 2026 showcased a wave of ultra-smart, eye-catching consumer devices — from Amazfit's long-life wearables to Govee RGBIC Smart Lamp and whole-home AI Home Energy Hubs. For homeowners and renters in the UK, the excitement comes with a practical question: how do I power these gadgets without my energy bills exploding? This guide maps the hottest CES 2026 smart-home gear to real-world rooftop solar strategies, with clear battery-sizing methods, PV priorities and deployment checklists you can use now.

The CES 2026 smart-home shift that matters to UK households

At CES 2026 the headline wasn't just new gadgets — it was integration. Devices are smarter about energy: they signal when to draw power, they schedule updates for solar production peaks and many new products support bidirectional flows (V2H/V2L) or integrate with home energy platforms. That means a rooftop PV array plus a battery and a smart energy manager can keep more of your favourite kit running, lower grid dependency and smooth bills.

"The value of CES gadgets in 2026 is realised not simply by owning them, but by plugging them into a rooftop PV + smart energy system that prioritises what matters to you."

Quick overview: the CES 2026 gadgets we map in this article

We’ll cover practical energy plans for these consumer favourites (real brand mentions where relevant):

Amazfit Active Max — highly efficient smartwatch with multi-week runtime and occasional charging bursts
Govee RGBIC Smart Lamp — low-power mood lighting, popular for scenes and streaming setups
AI Home Energy Hub (CES 2026 winners) — coordinates devices and solar to minimise cost
Bidirectional EV Chargers (V2H-ready) — let EVs discharge to home at peak times
Next-gen Smart TVs and Gaming Consoles — high, intermittent loads for entertainment
Smart security cameras & doorbells — continuous but low power draw

How much juice do CES gadgets actually use? Practical consumption estimates

Below are conservative real-world figures you can use when sizing PV and batteries. Individual models vary — always check product specs — but these numbers map to the most common devices seen at CES 2026.

Amazfit Active Max smartwatch: charging 1–3 Wh per day (very small). Typical weekly bulk charge ~2–5 Wh/day effective.
Govee RGBIC smart lamp: 6–18 W while on. Running 3 hours/day ≈ 0.02–0.054 kWh/day.
AI home hub / smart speaker: 3–10 W idle, peaks for touchscreens or computation. Plan 0.05–0.12 kWh/day.
Smart security cameras: 2–6 W each, 24/7 recording ≈ 0.05–0.15 kWh/day per camera.
Smart TV (4K HDR): 60–200 W depending on size and brightness. 3 hours/day ≈ 0.18–0.6 kWh/day.
Gaming console: 100–300 W active. 2 hours/day ≈ 0.2–0.6 kWh/day.
Bidirectional EV charging (Vehicle): full charge 7–80 kWh depending on battery; 7–11 kW typical AC charge rate.

Battery sizing: a simple methodology you can use today

To size a battery to run CES gadgets reliably, follow four steps. This approach works for renters and homeowners and is flexible for adding EV charging later.

Step 1 — List critical daily energy for your gadgets

Estimate daily kWh for devices you want powered from battery/PV overnight or during cloudy days. Example small kit (apartment): smartwatch + smart lamp + hub + router + 2 cameras = ~0.4 kWh/day.

Step 2 — Decide autonomy (days of backup)

For gadget continuity choose 0.5–2 days of autonomy. If you want to keep cameras, hub and lights for 2 days, use 2× daily need. For most UK homes 1 day is a pragmatic balance.

Step 3 — Account for inverter losses and depth of discharge

Multiply required energy by 1.2 to cover inverter and round-trip losses. For usable battery capacity use a depth of discharge (DoD) factor — e.g., if a battery's recommended DoD is 90%, divide required usable capacity by 0.9.

Step 4 — Choose the battery size and round up

Example calculation — small apartment kit:

Daily need = 0.4 kWh
Autonomy = 1 day → base = 0.4 kWh
Losses = 1.2 × 0.4 = 0.48 kWh
Battery usable at 90% DoD = 0.48 / 0.9 ≈ 0.53 kWh
Round up → choose a 1 kWh battery (small modular packs exist) to provide headroom and future devices

For a typical UK family home wanting gadgets + some daytime loads: estimate 3–5 kWh/day. For 1 day autonomy after losses and DoD you’ll often end up with a 5–10 kWh battery. For EV owners who want daytime charging and vehicle-to-home, 10–20 kWh is a practical starting point; full EV-dependent homes may want 20–40 kWh.

PV sizing: how many panels to support your gadgets (and more)

PV in the UK is sized in kWp (kilowatt-peak). Use this rule-of-thumb to align PV to your gadget-driven energy goals:

Micro/gadget-only setup (apartment): 1–2 kWp → generates roughly 800–1,700 kWh/year depending on location and orientation. Enough for low daily gadget loads.
Small family wanting gadget + partial household load: 3–4 kWp → good baseline to cut mains use and support daytime EV charging on sunny days.
Family home wanting to charge EV mostly from solar: 6–8 kWp → enables substantial daytime EV charging and battery top-up.

These figures depend on roof orientation, shading and local irradiance. In the UK, a south-facing 1 kWp array typically produces 800–1,000 kWh/year; in the north less, in the south-west more.

Prioritisation: what to put on the solar+battery circuit first

Not all devices are equal. A smart prioritisation plan keeps critical services running longer and reduces costs.

Tier 1 — Essential, always-on: home hub, broadband router, security cameras, fridge (if desired). These maintain security and connectivity.
Tier 2 — Comfort & productivity: lighting (including Govee lamps when needed), smart thermostats, TV for limited hours, EV pre-scheduled charging.
Tier 3 — Opportunistic & high-power: gaming consoles, oven and washing machine. Run these when PV production is high or when rates are low.

Gadget-by-gadget mapping: CES 2026 winners and how to run them from rooftop PV

Amazfit Active Max (smartwatch) — tiny energy, big benefit

Amazfit’s Active Max (CES 2026 buzz) showcases long battery life and occasional bulk charging. Practically, this is the easiest device to keep fully solar-powered: the total annual energy is a few Wh — minute compared with any household appliance. Put its charger on a smart plug or USB hub powered through your PV-backed circuit and it’ll essentially be free-run by solar once installed.

Govee RGBIC Smart Lamp — mood lighting with smart scheduling

Govee’s lamp blends low power with high visual impact. Plan to run it from PV during evenings: schedule the lamp for sunset-to-bed times and dim scenes to cut draw. If you put lighting on a Tier 2 circuit and use your AI hub to reduce brightness when battery SOC (state of charge) drops below a threshold, you’ll keep ambience without surprises.

AI Home Energy Hub — the brains that makes PV and gadgets behave

CES 2026 hubs are smarter than before — they learn production patterns, negotiate with EVs and control appliance schedules. When paired with a hybrid inverter and a battery, these hubs can automatically:

Delay non-essential updates until midday PV peaks
Move washing and dishwasher cycles to sunny hours
Use V2H or V2L to supplement home supply during evenings

Install one on your Tier 1 circuit and feed it real-time solar production data for the best results.

Bidirectional EV chargers (V2H-ready) — a game-changer for home energy

CES 2026 confirmed V2H is now mainstream. With a bidirectional charger and compatible EV you can charge midday when the sun is out and reverse energy to the home during peak evening hours. Important sizing notes:

EV battery usable capacity behaves like a large home battery — but warranty terms vary; check with your vehicle OEM before regular V2H cycling.
To top up an EV with solar primarily, aim for 6–8 kWp PV plus a complementary 10–20 kWh stationary battery to smooth cloudy days.

Smart TVs & gaming rigs — schedule and throttle

High-power entertainment electronics should be scheduled for sunny periods where possible. Use your home hub to pre-heat or pre-load game patches and to reduce TV brightness automatically when on battery-only mode.

Case studies — concrete solar + gadget plans (UK, 2026 context)

Case A: City apartment — the gadget obsessive (no EV)

Profile: 1-bed flat, devices: Amazfit + Govee lamp + hub + 2 cameras + router + 43" TV used 2 hrs/day.

Estimated daily use for these gadgets: 0.7 kWh/day
Recommended PV: 1.5 kWp (roof tiles, balcony-mounted options or community solar)
Recommended battery: 3–5 kWh (modular, 1 day autonomy with headroom)
Priority circuit: hub, router and security cameras on Tier 1; lamp & TV on Tier 2

Case B: Semi-detached house — family with EV

Profile: 4-bed, devices: whole-home hubs, Govee ambient lighting, multiple TVs, 7kWh daily household gadget & partial load; 40 kWh EV that does 30 km/day (approx 6–8 kWh/day).

Household gadget + partial loads: 4 kWh/day
EV daily requirement: 7 kWh/day (with midday solar target)
Total daily solar target: ~11 kWh/day
Recommended PV: 6–8 kWp (to provide most of daytime energy and a good chunk of EV charging in summer)
Recommended battery: 15 kWh hybrid battery + bidirectional charger for V2H flexibility
Smart scheduling: EV charges between 10:00–15:00; heavy appliances run midday; TV/games restricted to low battery SOC

Installation choices that matter in 2026

When connecting CES gadgets to rooftop PV, pick components that support intelligent control:

Hybrid inverters that manage PV + battery + export limits
Sub-metering for EV, kitchen and entertainment circuits so your hub can make smart trade-offs
Smart breakers / switchable loads to prioritise Tier 1 circuits automatically
V2H-capable chargers if you own or plan to own an EV

Advanced strategies and 2026 trends

Late-2025 and early-2026 developments accelerated these trends:

AI-managed home energy platforms learned household patterns and tuned PV and storage dispatch to maximise self-consumption.
V2X growth made vehicle batteries an integrated resource, but check warranties and manufacturer guidance.
Grid-interactive inverters enabled households to take part in flexibility markets in pilot regions — potential revenue stream for homeowners by 2026.
Continued battery cost declines reduced payback times for combined PV + storage solutions compared with 2020–2022.

Checklist: before you buy a CES gadget with solar in mind

Get a short home energy audit — list devices and their daily kWh.
Decide priorities (Tier 1–3) — what must run in a blackout?
Choose a hybrid inverter + battery that supports an AI hub and submetering.
If you have an EV, pick a certified bidirectional charger and confirm V2H compatibility with your vehicle maker.
Ask installers for simulated yearly production estimates for your roof orientation and shading.
Consider finance and green mortgage options—many lenders reward energy upgrades in 2026.

Practical tips to lower the upfront cost and speed ROI

Start small and modular: 1–3 kWp + 3–5 kWh battery; expand later when you add an EV or more devices.
Use smart plugs and scheduling to avoid hiring large batteries for low-priority loads.
Look for bundled offers from MCS-certified installers who include hub integration and appliance switching.
Monitor export vs self-consumption: in the UK, small exports are usually paid under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) — check current rates but prioritise self-use where possible.

Final takeaway: CES 2026 devices are easiest to justify when bundled with smart solar

New gadgets from CES 2026 — including Amazfit wearables and Govee lighting — are designed to be energy-aware. When you connect them to a thoughtfully sized rooftop PV system, with a battery sized using the steps above and a smart home hub, you get better value, resilience and lower energy bills. The roadmap is clear in 2026: integrate, prioritise and automate.

Call to action

Want a bespoke plan for your home and the CES gadgets you love? Get a free solar + smart-home audit from our vetted UK installer network — we’ll map PV size, battery needs and a prioritisation plan so you can enjoy your gadgets without bill shock. Click to request quotes and a free feasibility check today.

powersupplier

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Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.

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