Smart Thermostats – Do They Really Save Cost?
Today, almost every household in the U.S. has a programmable thermostat. You can easily get it for $20 now, and these devices can save you a good amount of money in home heating and cooling bills every year.
Now, enter the smart thermostat, which is a much more energy-efficient thermostat, because of its “smarts”. This has become a popular smart home device that’s considered to be an entry point to the smart home world.
That said, what’s all the hype behind this device? Is it because of how energy-efficient they are? Or perhaps they look cool on the walls? There are so many things that add to the hype behind the smart thermostat.
The real question people have about smart thermostats is, do they really save cost? If yes, how so? Well, we’ll be answering all these questions in this article to help determine whether the smart thermostat is worth the investment?
How Does a Smart Thermostat Work?
Energy bills are a real burden, and stressful to pay. Your HVAC system is the biggest factor contributing to high energy bills. In all honesty, there’s no way to defeat your HVAC system, but you can always combat it by adjusting the smart thermostat to energy-efficient settings.
Smart thermostats take things a step further. Moreover, when compared to programmable thermostat capabilities, smart thermostats learn from your heating and cooling habits over time and recommend the most energy-efficient temperature settings for you.
For instance, Honeywell T9 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat identifies your location by connecting to its app on your smartphone to determine when you’ll be home and then adjust its temperature accordingly.
In other words, by the time you’re home, you’ll be welcomed by a comfortable temperature. In fact, you can also control the smart thermostat from anywhere around the world, because of its remote access feature.
For example, if you don’t have a specific temperature schedule, and forgot to turn the thermostat up during scorching summer, you can always go to its smartphone app and control it from afar.
How Does a Smart Thermostat Save You Money?
Smart thermostats have no magic tricks when it comes to saving costs, but it does. If you were to look at the fundamentals of how smart thermostats save you money, it’s in fact rather simple: to heat a space, you need energy.
Now, how much energy is needed totally depends on how warm of a space you like and how long will it stay at that temperature.
How Does This Work?
Smart thermostats keep the temperature as low as possible for the longest possible time, and this is what saves money. You will need to feed in your desired temperature and your daily schedule into your smart thermostat.
This information helps the thermostat in ensuring that the space is warm or cool at a comfortable level when you’re home. In addition, it will also make sure to save energy when it’s not being used.
Smart thermostats are much easier to use as compared to regular programmable thermostats. This also means that you’re more likely to use smart thermostats more regularly and also keep adjusting it whenever your schedule changes.
Algorithm-Based Learning
Smart thermostats have the ability to learn your behaviors and help set schedules that are the most energy-efficient. Most, if not all smart thermostats know when you’re home or on the way home via geofencing capabilities or third-party integration.
They further learn your preference for wait time. This is also how a smart thermostat helps you save money.
What to Look for in a Smart Thermostat?
If you’ve been considering buying a smart thermostat for quite some time now, here are some factors to consider:
- For instance, if you have a smart hub like a Google Nest or an Amazon Echo Dot, it’s important that your smart thermostat is compatible with the hub. You don’t want to buy and install your smart thermostat, only to find out that the hub does not support your other smart home devices.
- Always check that the smart thermostat you’re considering buying is certified by ENERGY-STAR. Most household brands like Ecobee, Google, and Honeywell are all approved. That said, there’s no harm in double-checking. These smart home gadget brands will provide you with the most savings.
- Most smart thermostats should not cost you more than $300. If you’re buying one that’s pricier than that, you’re most likely paying for its looks rather than its convenience or energy efficiency.
Conclusion
Smart thermostats are definitely worth the investment, and you will see how it saves you money, and in no time, it’ll pay for itself. That said, smart thermostats are just one of the many aspects of a smart home, but a good entry point for beginners.
