Why Smart Thermostats Are Worth It

If you’re looking for a way to save money and energy in your home, it may be a wise investment to research getting a smart thermostat. These devices can do everything from monitor when you leave the house, so that it doesn’t throw away electricity heating or cooling a vacant home, to changing energy usage based on how many people are in a room or what time of day it is.

We’ll review what a smart thermostat is, how it works and why it’s worthwhile to invest in one. We’ll also discuss how it can help you save 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 adjusting your heating and cooling settings for various 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.

Many smart thermostats have learning abilities, which means they pay attention to how you adjust your settings and make automatic adjustments as time passes 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 hook up 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, including home heating and air conditioning.

Smart thermostat features consist of a temperature sensor that can tell when the home is vacant, and then automatically change to an energy-efficient setting. Your smart thermostat may be able to geofence with your phone to know when you’re at home or out.

A smart thermostat does tasks like adapt more for rooms that are occupied or have more people in them, as well as track what time of day it is so it knows how much heating or air conditioning should be used.

Are Smart Thermostats Worth It?

For many people, the answer is yes. If you do a lot of traveling or are gone for long hours during the day, it may be worth your money to invest in 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 be concerned about whether your smart thermostat is on the right program, or if you remembered to adjust 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

Most homeowners have a standard programmable thermostat, but 40% of them aren’t set properly. This means you could be missing opportunities to save on heating and cooling expenses.

Smart thermostats are convenient because they adjust to your schedule and automate heating and cooling to match. 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 greatest energy savings. If you manually adjust a programmable thermostat, you can overburden your HVAC system and make it work harder to meet your adjustments.

Do Smart Thermostats Save Energy?

Yes, since your smart thermostat will learn from your temperature preferences and routine to make a schedule that saves on 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 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 suggest following these recommendations from ENERGY STAR® to save energy.

Suggested Temperature Settings for Your Heating System

• • Wake: Under 70 degrees.

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

• • Evening: Greater than 70 degrees.

• • Sleep: Decrease 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.

To sum up, you don’t have to buy a smart thermostat to spend less on your energy bill. All you need is a programmable thermostat, but it’s essential to know that any savings may come at the expense of your comfort and convenience.

Do Smart Thermostats Save Money

Nest, one of the most popular smart thermostat manufacturers, states 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 differ based on your home, where you live, how much insulation you have and your preferred temperature settings. You might experience average savings, significant savings or somewhere in between.

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 moving your thermostat up/down when you’re asleep.

Smart thermostats make the process easy 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 such as a smart thermostat. The rebate amount varies by company, but in most instances, it will cover most or all the cost. To learn more, check your utility company’s website for rebate info.

Depend On the Experts for Your Smart Thermostat Needs

Getting a smart thermostat is an investment, but it can help you spend less money in the end. 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 954-736-4314 to schedule yours now!