I honestly think it&#x27;s less about the energy usage of the displays and more about the general visual annoyance of typical computer displays.<p>Sure, yes, one reason we keep displays off most of the time is because of their usage, but more and more so it&#x27;s the secondary reason - there are lots of power efficient displays nowadays that can maintain an always-on screen at relatively low power cost, and smarthome devices generally aren&#x27;t reliant on battery power.<p>But the bigger problem is that <i>LCD displays are ugly</i>. They are backlit, and their response to better lighting in the room is <i>to increase its own strength to make itself even more apparent</i>. They are ugly, obnoxious, and annoying in the same way blinking router lights are, but multiplied several times over.<p>So we keep them off - we can <i>afford</i> to keep them on, but the fact that we keep them off 99% of the time less environmental consciousness but more an acknowledgment that they&#x27;re visually noisy, distracting, and just kind of don&#x27;t fit in. When you walk into a room you don&#x27;t want your attention immediately drawn to this LCD panel on the wall with its pale glow.<p>E-ink fortunately doesn&#x27;t suffer from this problem. It&#x27;s clearly legible, doesn&#x27;t require backlighting, and more importantly <i>doesn&#x27;t appear distractingly electronic</i> in everyday use. You can afford to keep an always-on e-ink display, not just because of its low power use, but because it won&#x27;t be this annoying glow in your peripheral vision always.