Installing a Smart Thermostat Can Optimize Home Temperature
What Is a Smart Thermostat?
A smart thermostat can alter the temperature of the home remotely, with the use of a tablet, phone, or other device that is connected to the internet, such as a smart speaker. They are designed to allow you to change the temperature settings, install programs, make exceptions, and manage the settings of your home so the automation can be more energy-efficient and help save you money.
What Else Can a Smart Thermostat Do?
Depending on the thermostat, some specific models have built-in features such as the ability to learn your heating and cooling preferences. Ultimately, your thermostat temperature can be optimized through algorithms that learn about your at-home comfort preferences and can keep them online and functioning when you’re there.
Some of the best thermostats are even designed to diagnose issues with the HVAC system when they occur, so you’re able to address them quickly so you don’t lose the energy-efficiency component of the smart thermostat. Additionally, if your smart thermostat is designed with this diagnostic feature, then it can also remind you when it’s time to perform any routine maintenance, such as checking the filter or getting a maintenance tune-up. Some thermostats have sensors for various rooms so that the temperature in the room can be measured and adjusted according to the established settings, making sure there aren’t any hot or cold spots in the house. The sensors can also be used to note when people are at home or when they’ve gone out, which can save on heating and cooling costs.
For those who may not yet have a smart speaker, there are a few varieties of smart thermostats out there that already have Alexa built-in, like Ecobee 4 or the Ecobee SmartThermostat.
Can a Smart Thermostat Save You Money?
With the use of a smart thermostat, you can save money simply by using only the necessary amount of heating and cooling. With some of the learning, scheduling, and setting features, you can curb excess use and keep your home comfortable for all. Some of the additional diagnostic features can keep your system running longer and do so with efficiency, which can save you money in the long run and preserve your HVAC unit investment in its functionally optimized state.
What’s the Difference between a Smart Thermostat and a Traditional One?
A traditional thermostat can have a range of capabilities, starting with the basic adjustment of temperature when the dial is changed. There are a few more complex features with clock thermostats and programming options for daily preferences. That said, a smart thermostat gauges the household’s heating and cooling uses and subsequently optimizes them. A smart thermostat will not only follow the programming preferences (as would be available on a traditional thermostat), but it will optimize the heating and cooling settings based on the family’s living habits and even where the home is located.
How Does a Smart Thermostat Work?
Learning about a smart thermostat is easier if you first understand how a traditional thermostat works. A thermostat is a component of the home used to manage the temperature and does so by regulating the heating and cooling. It triggers the switching on of the fan and either AC or the heat. If you can imagine how the light switch on the wall triggers the on-off of the electric current to the bulb, then you can understand the way a thermostat works, only it relates to temperature as opposed to electricity. There are a series of wires, including a common wire, a hot wire, a wire connecting to the blower fan, and the wiring system that attaches to the HVAC system for the heat or cool mode. There’s the potential for other wires as well. After you’ve set the temperature desired, the internalized thermometer system will automatically shut off the connection to the appropriate wires once your space has reached that temperature.
A smart thermostat works very similarly, except it will also connect to the Wi-Fi in a home or office. This can make it so you can change the set temperature accordingly, even from a remote location, normally through a companion app. All of the commands pass over the home’s or business’s Wi-Fi network, and the smart thermostat will then communicate with the HVAC and get the setting desired up and running. For example, if you’re using a smart speaker, you can say “Hey, Alexa (or Google or whichever), set the temperature to 68 degrees,” and the application will pass the command message on to the thermostat. Due to the advances in technology, it’s unlikely that you’ve given much thought to the process before, and because it all happens so quickly, it can be something that we take for granted.
How to Find the Best Smart Thermostat for Your Home
Although the amount of savings can vary, buying a smart thermostat can potentially save you between $100 and $250 each year on your power bill. They can keep your home feeling comfortable 24/7 and keep the system running both efficiently and responsibly. There are a few key questions to ask yourself as you’re deciding which smart thermostat is right for you.
Firstly, will the home be empty during the day with family members at work or school? Are you interested in managing the thermostat by phone, tablet, or smart speaker? Is there a different schedule that you keep during the workweek as opposed to the weekend? What’s your budget? Are you comfortable doing the smart thermostat installation by yourself?
If you answered mostly “yes” to the above questions, a smart thermostat could be a smart choice for you. For any other smart thermostat questions you might have, the experts at Entek can help you decide which would suit you best.
