Why Smart Thermostats Are Worth It

If you want a way to spend less money and energy in your home, it may be a worthwhile investment to explore getting a smart thermostat. These gadgets can do everything from track when you leave the house, so that it doesn’t throw away electricity heating or cooling a vacant home, to adjusting energy usage according to 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 worthwhile to purchase one. We’ll also discuss how it can help you spend less money on your energy bills by decreasing energy consumption.

What Is a Smart Thermostat?

A smart thermostat is a programmable device that allows you to do everything from changing your heating and cooling settings for different times of day, to monitoring when people are in the house, so it isn’t wasting energy by heating or cooling a vacant home. Many smart thermostats have learning abilities, which means they pay attention to how you change 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 keep track of your energy usage from just about anywhere.

How Do Smart Thermostats Work?

A smart thermostat has learning algorithms and can connect with other smart home technology, like Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit, for improved control over your comfort. They’re compatible with most systems, such as home heating and air conditioning. Smart thermostat features consist of a temperature sensor that can tell when the home is empty, and then automatically adjust to an energy-efficient setting. Your smart thermostat might be able to geofence with your phone to know when you’re at home or away. A smart thermostat does things like adjust more for rooms that are full 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 used.

Are Smart Thermostats Worth It?

For some people, the answer is yes. If you do a lot of travel or are gone 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 the office 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 change the temperature setting before you left. It doesn’t require much effort from you, but you’ll notice it in reduced energy bills.

Smart Thermostats vs. Programmable Thermostats

Many homeowners have a standard programmable thermostat, but 40% of them aren’t set correctly. This means you could be missing opportunities to save on heating and cooling expenses. Smart thermostats are handy because they learn your schedule and automate heating and cooling to match. You can set a comparable schedule on a programmable thermostat. But it’s more effort to program your thermostat manually. A smart thermostat automatically 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 day-to-day activities 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 saving money. You can get identical energy savings with a programmable thermostat, but it’s going to require a little bit more effort than a smart thermostat. To set up a schedule on programmable models, we advise following these recommendations from ENERGY STAR® to save energy.

Suggested Temperature Settings for Your Heating System

• • Wake: Below 70 degrees.

• • Day: Set back at least 8 degrees, if no one is there.

• • Evening: Greater than 70 degrees.

• • Sleep: Set back at least 8 degrees.

Recommended 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 save on your energy bill. All you need is a programmable thermostat, but it’s important to note that any savings may come at the cost of your comfort and convenience.

Do Smart Thermostats Save Money

Nest, one of the most prominent smart thermostat manufacturers, provinces its smart thermostat saves U.S. homeowners about:

• • 10-12% on your heating bill

• • 15% on your cooling bill

• • $131 to $145 on your energy bill annually

Your smart thermostat will give you a monthly heating and cooling report, which usually compares you to other residences in your community. Your possible savings differ based on your home, where you live, how much insulation you have and your desired temperature settings. You might experience average savings, significant savings or somewhere in between. If you’re finding you’re only seeing minimal savings on energy costs, you might be optimizing for energy efficiency currently. This includes turning off your HVAC system when you’re not at home or turning your thermostat up/down when you’re asleep. Smart thermostats make the process simple through their hands-off process that gradually shifts the temperature. If you’re at home often, it might not save you much on energy costs as is the point in an automatic, energy-efficient schedule.

How to Get a Smart Thermostat Rebate

Many utility companies give rebates to homeowners who purchase energy-saving, ENERGY STAR-certified equipment such as a smart thermostat. The rebate amount varies by company, but in most instances, it will take care of most or all the cost. To learn more, check your utility company’s website for rebate information.

Depend On the Experts for Your Smart Thermostat Needs

Installing a smart thermostat is an investment, but it can save you money in the long run. If you’ve been considering getting one and want to know if they work as promised, we offer free home comfort assessments. Call our Experts at 587-404-0790 to schedule yours now!