If聽you want聽a way to聽spend less聽money and energy in your home, it聽might聽be a聽worthwhile聽investment to聽research聽getting a smart thermostat. These聽devices聽can do everything from聽monitor聽when you leave the house, so that it doesn’t聽throw away聽electricity heating or cooling聽a vacant聽home, to聽adjusting聽energy usage聽based on聽how many people are in a room or what time of day it is.
We’ll聽cover聽what a smart thermostat is, how it聽works聽and why it’s聽worthwhile聽to聽invest in聽one. We’ll also聽discuss聽how it can help you聽spend less聽money on your energy bills by聽reducing聽energy consumption.
What Is a Smart Thermostat?
A smart thermostat is聽a programmable聽device that allows you to do聽it all聽from聽adjusting聽your heating and cooling settings for聽various聽times of day, to聽monitoring聽when people are in the house, so it isn’t聽wasting聽energy by heating or cooling聽a vacant聽home.
Most聽smart thermostats have learning聽capabilities, which means they pay attention to how you聽change聽your settings and make automatic adjustments聽over time聽based on what they learn from you.
A smart thermostat聽connects聽to Wi-Fi, so you’ll be able to聽change聽and聽monitor聽your energy usage from just about聽anywhere.
How Do Smart Thermostats Work?
A smart thermostat has learning algorithms and can聽hook up聽with other smart home technology,聽like聽Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit, for聽improved聽control over your comfort.聽They're compatible聽with most systems,聽including聽home heating and air conditioning.
Smart thermostat features聽consist of聽a temperature sensor that can聽tell聽when the home is聽empty, and then automatically聽change聽to an energy-efficient setting. Your smart thermostat聽might聽be able to geofence with your phone to know when you’re at home or聽away.
础听smart thermostat聽does聽things聽like聽adapt聽more for rooms that are聽adapt聽or have more people in them, as well as聽monitor聽what time of day it is so it knows how much heating or air conditioning should be聽going.
Are Smart Thermostats Worth It?
For聽many聽people, the answer is yes. If you do a lot of聽travel聽or are聽gone聽for聽many聽hours during the day, it may be worth your money to聽invest in聽one of these聽thermostats. You could save a聽invest in, especially if you forget to聽change聽it when you leave for聽work聽or go out of town for the weekend.
You won’t have to聽worry聽about whether your smart thermostat is on the聽appropriate聽program, or if you remembered to聽change聽the temperature setting before you聽left. It doesn’t require聽a lot of聽effort聽from you, but you’ll聽see聽it in聽reduced聽energy bills.
Smart Thermostats vs. Programmable Thermostats
Most聽homeowners have a聽traditional聽programmable thermostat, but 40% of them aren’t set聽correctly. This means you聽might聽be missing聽chances聽to save on heating and cooling聽costs.
Smart thermostats are聽handy聽because they聽adjust to聽your schedule and automate heating and cooling聽that corresponds. You can set a聽comparable聽schedule on a programmable thermostat. But it’s more聽work聽to program your thermostat聽manually.
A smart thermostat聽automatically聽adjusts and聽progressively聽changes the temperature inside your home for the聽greatest聽energy savings. If you manually聽change聽a programmable thermostat, you can聽overburden聽your HVAC system and make it work harder to meet your聽adjustments.
Do Smart Thermostats Save Energy?
Yes,聽because聽your smart thermostat will learn聽about聽your temperature preferences and聽routine聽to make a schedule that聽reduces聽heating and cooling costs. You don’t have to do much as your thermostat does all the work for you while聽conserving聽money.
You can聽get聽the same聽energy savings with a programmable thermostat, but it’s going to聽require聽a little bit more聽work聽than a smart thermostat. To聽put together聽a schedule on programmable models, we聽advise聽following these聽guidelines聽from聽聽to save energy.
Recommended聽Temperature Settings for Your Heating System
- Wake:聽Under聽70 degrees.
- Day: Set back at least 8 degrees, if no one is聽home.
- Evening:聽Greater聽than 70 degrees.
- Sleep:聽Set back聽at least 8 degrees.
Recommended聽Temperature Settings for Your Cooling System
- Wake:聽Greater聽than 78 degrees.
- Day: Set up at least 7 degrees, if no one is聽home.
- Evening:聽Cooler聽than 78 degrees.
- Sleep:聽Set up聽at least 4 degrees.
As you can see, you don’t have to聽get聽a smart thermostat to聽decrease聽your energy bill. All you need is a programmable thermostat, but it’s聽important聽to聽note聽that any savings may come at the聽cost聽of your comfort and convenience.
Do Smart Thermostats Save Money
, one of the most聽prominent聽smart thermostat manufacturers,聽says聽its smart thermostat saves U.S.聽homeowners聽about:
- 10-12% on your heating bill
- 15% on your cooling bill
- $131 to $145 on your energy bill聽each year
Your smart thermostat will聽give you聽a monthly heating and cooling report, which聽usually聽compares you to other residences in聽the area.
Your聽potential聽savings聽vary聽based on your聽home, where you live, how much insulation you have and your聽desired聽temperature settings. You might聽experience聽average savings, significant savings or somewhere聽in between.
If you’re聽noticing聽you’re only聽getting聽minimal聽savings on energy costs, you might be optimizing for energy efficiency聽currently. This includes聽turning聽off your HVAC system when you’re not at home or聽moving聽your thermostat up/down when you’re聽asleep.
Smart thermostats make聽this聽easy聽through their hands-off process that聽slowly聽shifts the temperature. If you’re at home聽often, it might not save you聽much聽on energy costs as is the point in an聽automatic, energy-efficient schedule.
How to Get a Smart Thermostat Rebate
Most聽utility companies聽give聽rebates to homeowners who聽install聽energy-saving, ENERGY STAR-certified equipment聽like聽a smart thermostat. The rebate聽amount聽varies by company, but in聽most聽instances, it will聽cover聽most or all the聽expense. To聽learn聽more,聽check聽your utility company’s website for rebate聽info.
Trust聽the Experts for Your Smart Thermostat Needs
installing聽a smart thermostat is an investment, but it can聽help you spend less聽money in the聽long run. If you’ve been聽considering聽installing聽one and want to know if they聽run聽as promised, we聽offer聽free home comfort assessments. Call our Experts at (866) 963-7996 迟辞听谤别辩耻别蝉迟听测辞耻谤蝉听迟辞诲补测!
