Should you buy a smart thermostat? Maybe you told yourself that your standard thermostat was good enough. The truth is that smart thermostats are in a different league than standard thermostats. Not only do they save you money, but they help keep you comfortable in your home. The features speak for themselves; the smart thermostat is easy to use, saves energy, works via remote control, and offers intelligent control.
Innovative technology is on the rise, and smart thermostats are a big part of its popularity. Smart thermostats have been around for longer than many people think. For close to a decade, this technology has been on the market. However, it is still relatively rare to find a homeowner that has made the transition.
What Are Smart Thermostats?
Smart home technology allows the devices that you frequently use to connect to the Internet. In doing so, you can control things like your appliances, window blinds, and more.
A smart thermostat allows you to change the temperature in your house, even if you are not at home. Someone can be out of town on vacation, for example, and adjust their thermostat up or down a few degrees to save energy even while they are gone.
Smart thermostats help you live comfortably and save energy at the same time. They are about more than just adjusting the temperature in your home, however. A smart thermostat is indeed an intelligent device that “gets to know” your habits. It recognizes when everyone is home over the weekend, for example, and ensures your house is operating at a comfortable temperature.
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How Are Smart Thermostats Different?
If you use a programmable thermostat in your home, you are heading down the right path. A programmable thermostat can help you save money and energy. However, you must program the thermostat so that it operates correctly. Unfortunately, many people do not take the time to work with their devices.
A smart thermostat is different. You can get your home on a schedule quickly and efficiently. When you want to make changes, an app will tell you what to do.
There are different smart thermostats on the market. They can do just about anything, including figuring out your schedule. Once the smart thermostat knows your habits, it adjusts for the times you leave and come home, the time you go to sleep, and more, always making sure you are comfortable. At the same time, the device is as conservative as possible with your energy use, constantly looking for ways to help you save money.
Suppose you care about your energy use but cannot bother to deal with your programmable thermostat. In that case, the smart thermostat could be your answer.
What Can a Smart Thermostat Do?
When people think about a smart thermostat, they often focus on the fact that the device can seamlessly control your home’s temperature. That is an essential function, but the smart thermostat is so much more complex than it even appears at first glance. It figures out what type of schedule you are on, and it automatically adjusts so that you save money. Over time, the smart thermostat determines what settings are important to you and under what conditions you like to be either cooler or warmer. In most cases, the device can even determine if you are in the house or not!
Furthermore, the smart thermostat knows how long it will take to either heat or cool your house to a specific temperature, based on the weather for that day. That means that the device can help you save as much energy as possible. All this intelligence ultimately helps you live more innovative and more comfortably.
What About Mini Splits?
Mini-splits are energy efficient, so if you have heard of them or have one yourself, you know that they help homeowners save money. Combining your mini-split with a smart thermostat is a good idea and will lead to additional savings. Not only can you control your mini split with the touch of a button, but you will also be able to utilize other essential features as well.
What Type of Savings Are Involved with a Smart Thermostat?
While a smart thermostat is a good investment, the savings are hard to calculate because they vary according to several factors. For example, the size of your house, where you live, the type of HVAC unit you have, and the steps you are currently taking to save energy all play a role.
Some companies say you will save about twelve percent on your energy bill using a smart thermostat. In contrast, others claim you could save close to twenty-five percent. Regardless of whether your savings fall at the lower end or, the higher end, you should see a significant difference in your monthly bill.
Smart Thermostat Savings Add Up
How much you save with your smart thermostat is partly up to you. For example, reducing the temperature in your home while you are gone affects how much you save overall. While turning down the thermostat by two degrees each time you go to work may not seem like a big deal, the savings could be substantial over time. The key is that you must be consistent, which is where the smart thermostat comes in. You do not have to remember to do anything; your device does it all for you.
Everyone Is Different
Your unique situation impacts your total savings, and it is not always possible to give an accurate estimate of the benefits of the smart thermostat. There are a couple of reasons that you may want to consider one of these devices, however.
Does your home have two different thermostats, perhaps one for the downstairs and one for the upstairs? A smart thermostat makes sense in this scenario because it enables you to easily adjust the temperature for the rooms you use most often.
Where do you live? If you live in a cold area, turning the temperature down a few degrees in the evening or while you are at work can lead to significant savings. A smart thermostat can help you manage this without much effort on your part.
Do you have a vacation property? A smart thermostat enables you to keep things under control, even when no one is in the home. It also lets you adjust the temperature just before you arrive so that things are the way you like them when you get there.
What Does It All Mean?
The concept behind the smart thermostat is not entirely new. After all, a standard thermostat allows you to change the temperature in your home manually. If you want to put the work in, you can ensure that you save as much energy as possible. However, most people do not have the time or inclination to deal with a programmable thermostat. In those cases, a smart thermostat is a good investment and will save you money over time. For instance, if your smart thermostat adjusts the temperature by six degrees, you save approximately 12 percent on your energy bill each day! That is a big difference and something to consider seriously.