Why Smart Thermostats Are Worth It
If you’re looking for a way to spend less money and energy in your home, it may be a wise investment to research getting a smart thermostat. These devices can do everything from track when you leave the house, so that it doesn’t waste electricity heating or cooling a vacant home, to adjusting energy usage based on how many people are in a room or what time of day it is.
We’ll cover what a smart thermostat is, how it works and why it’s worth it to purchase one. We’ll also discuss how it can help you save money on your energy bills by lowering energy consumption.
What Is a Smart Thermostat?
A smart thermostat is a programmable device that allows you to do everything from adjusting your heating and cooling settings for different times of day, to tracking when people are in the house, so it isn’t needlessly consuming energy by heating or cooling an empty home.
Most smart thermostats have learning capabilities, which means they pay attention to how you adjust your settings and make automatic adjustments over time based on what they learn from you.
A smart thermostat links to Wi-Fi, so you’ll be able to change and monitor your energy usage from just about anyplace.
How Do Smart Thermostats Work?
A smart thermostat has learning algorithms and can connect with other smart home technology, such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit, for improved control over your comfort. They work with most systems, such as home heating and air conditioning.
Smart thermostat features include a temperature sensor that can tell when the home is empty, and then automatically change to an energy-efficient setting. Your smart thermostat might be able to geofence with your phone to know when you’re at home or out.
A smart thermostat does things like adapt more for rooms that are occupied or have more people in them, as well as monitor what time of day it is so it knows how much heating or air conditioning should be going.
Are Smart Thermostats Worth It?
For many people, the answer is yes. If you do a lot of travel or are out for many hours during the day, it may be worth your money to get one of these devices. You could save a lot, especially if you forget to change it when you leave for work or go out of town for the weekend.
You won’t have to worry about whether your smart thermostat is on the right program, or if you remembered to adjust the temperature setting before you went out. It doesn’t require a lot of effort from you, but you’ll see it in lower energy bills.
Smart Thermostats vs. Programmable Thermostats
Many homeowners have a traditional programmable thermostat, but 40% of them aren’t set correctly. This means you could be missing chances to save on heating and cooling costs.
Smart thermostats are convenient because they learn your schedule and automate heating and cooling that corresponds. You can set a similar schedule on a programmable thermostat. But it’s more effort to program your thermostat by hand.
A smart thermostat conveniently adjusts and progressively changes the temperature inside your home for the biggest energy savings. If you manually adjust a programmable thermostat, you can overload your HVAC system and make it work harder to meet your changes.
Do Smart Thermostats Save Energy?
Yes, because your smart thermostat will learn about your temperature preferences and routine to make a schedule that reduces heating and cooling costs. You don’t have to do much as your thermostat does all the work for you while conserving money.
You can acquire the same energy savings with a programmable thermostat, but it’s going to take a little bit more effort than a smart thermostat. To put together a schedule on programmable models, we suggest following these guidelines from ENERGY STAR® to save energy.
Recommended Temperature Settings for Your Heating System
-
- Wake: Under 70 degrees.
-
- Day: Set back at least 8 degrees, if no one is there.
-
- Evening: Higher than 70 degrees.
-
- Sleep: Decrease at least 8 degrees.
Suggested Temperature Settings for Your Cooling System
-
- Wake: Greater than 78 degrees.
-
- Day: Set up at least 7 degrees, if no one is there.
-
- Evening: Lower than 78 degrees.
-
- Sleep: Set up at least 4 degrees.
As you can see, you don’t have to get a smart thermostat to spend less on your energy bill. All you need is a programmable thermostat, but it’s important to know that any savings may come at the cost of your comfort and convenience.
Do Smart Thermostats Save Money
Nest, one of the most popular smart thermostat manufacturers, says its smart thermostat saves U.S. households about:
-
- 10-12% on your heating bill
-
- 15% on your cooling bill
-
- $131 to $145 on your energy bill each year
Your smart thermostat will provide you with a monthly heating and cooling report, which usually compares you to other residences in the area.
Your possible savings vary based on your house, where you live, how much insulation you have and your desired temperature settings. You might experience average savings, significant savings or somewhere in the middle.
If you’re finding you’re only getting small savings on energy costs, you might be optimizing for energy efficiency already. This includes switching off your HVAC system when you’re not at home or turning your thermostat up/down when you’re sleeping.
Smart thermostats make this simple through their hands-off process that slowly shifts the temperature. If you’re at home often, it might not save you money on energy costs as is the point in an automated, energy-efficient schedule.
How to Get a Smart Thermostat Rebate
Most utility companies offer rebates to homeowners who purchase energy-saving, ENERGY STAR-certified equipment like a smart thermostat. The rebate total varies by company, but in many instances, it will take care of most or all the expense. To learn more, check your utility company’s website for rebate info.
Trust the Experts for Your Smart Thermostat Needs
Getting a smart thermostat is an investment, but it can save you money in the end. If you’ve been thinking about getting one and want to know if they work as promised, we provide free home comfort assessments. Call our Experts at 866-397-3787 to request yours now!