Connect Your Existing Furnace to Your Smart Home
After a stressful 2020, don’t we all want to make life a little easier? Wouldn’t it be great if you could streamline your daily activities so you can focus your time and energy on what really matters most to you instead? That’s where we come in. Entek may not be able to solve all your problems, but we can certainly help you with your furnace-related ones.
One way to streamline things at home is to upgrade to smart technology. Don’t worry. You won’t need to purchase an entirely new furnace to do it. You can actually connect your existing furnace to your smart home once you have the right tools in place. Here’s how.
Buy a Smart Thermostat
When you purchase a smart thermostat, be sure to get one that is compatible with your smart home system. If you aren’t already using a smart home system, buy a thermostat that is compatible with the system you’re most likely to get.
If you’re uncertain what home automation system you’re leaning toward, some smart thermostats are compatible with multiple types of smart home devices, such as Amazon Echo, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and more. You can opt to buy a smart thermostat that’s compatible with several systems until you figure out which one you want to buy.
Once you have smart home technology in place, you simply sync up your smart thermostat with your home automation system just as you would any other smart home device. Once you have the system connected, you’ll be able to enjoy all the conveniences smart thermostats provide. For instance, you can control the thermostat settings from the comfort of your couch so long as you opt for a smart thermostat with voice control capabilities.
Smart thermostats have many benefits beyond simply allowing you to control home temperature on demand. They also help your furnace operate more efficiently, adding up to significant savings on your home energy bills. But in order to start saving, you’ll need to connect your smart thermostat to your home’s existing furnace. That brings us to our next step.
Connect Your Existing Furnace to Your Smart Thermostat
This is the time to call in the pros. In order to begin using your smart thermostat, you’ll need to make sure it’s properly connected to your furnace. This requires specialized knowledge of your home’s wiring.
For starters, smart thermostats often require what’s called a C-wire. This connects the thermostat to your HVAC system and provides the electricity needed for certain features, such as Wi-Fi communication. More on that in just a bit.
Some homes are already equipped with C-wires. But older homes usually are not. A new one will need to be installed or a C-wire adapter will need to be used in its place. Either way, connecting your smart thermostat to your home’s furnace is often an involved process. We don’t recommend handling this on your own. Instead, contact one of our trusted HVAC technicians. We’ll get your smart thermostat up and running in no time at all.
Connect to Wi-Fi
Your home is likely already equipped with Wi-Fi, but if not, you’ll need to have it installed to be able to enjoy all the benefits your smart thermostat provides. Your Wi-Fi connection is what’s going to allow your smart thermostat to communicate with your other smart home devices. Sure, a smart thermostat can work even when it’s not connected to your home’s Wi-Fi. But it will be limited to basic heating and cooling functions.
On the other hand, when your smart thermostat is using a Wi-Fi connection, you’ll be able to take full advantage of its functionality. For instance, some smart thermostats display the weather or use sensors to detect when someone has entered or exited a room so that the temperature can be adjusted accordingly. All of these features rely on Wi-Fi, so you’ll want to have a strong, reliable connection in order to use them.
Download the App
Once you’ve installed your smart thermostat, you’ll also want to download the smartphone app associated with it. Every smart thermostat comes with a corresponding phone application that helps optimize its benefits. Once you have the app downloaded, you can control your home’s thermostat settings remotely while you’re on the go.
For instance, you can adjust your home’s thermostat settings on the drive home from work. This will help you conserve energy during the day while ensuring your space is at a comfortable temperature when you arrive home at night.
There are also some really cool features associated with most smart thermostat apps. Say, for instance, you’re busy and don’t remember to remotely adjust your thermostat settings on the way home from work. Some apps are enabled with something known as geofencing. Geofencing uses GPS data to know when you’re in close proximity to your house so that your thermostat settings can be automatically adjusted for you. Problem solved. It’s called smart technology for a reason, after all.
Some apps even provide detailed energy reports, outlining your energy usage. This information can help you identify ways to conserve energy, leading to even greater savings on your home energy bills.
In short, smart thermostats are exactly that. Smart. They do much of the work for us, adding modern convenience to our everyday lives. It’s a worthwhile investment that often pays for itself in the form of increased energy savings.
If you’re overwhelmed by all the choices on the market, give us a call. We can help you find the smart thermostat best-suited to your lifestyle and help you get it installed.When you use a smart thermostat, you’re likely to see reduced energy bills and increased comfort levels right away. And we promise it’ll be one of the smartest decisions you ever make.
