Key Points
- Smart thermostats can save about 10% annually on home heating and cooling costs by intelligently regulating temperature.
- Geofencing technology in smart thermostats adjusts temperature based on your phone’s location, ensuring a comfortable home upon arrival.
- Smart thermostats can provide usage reports, helping you understand heating and cooling patterns and energy consumption.
- Some smart thermostats offer maintenance reminders for tasks like changing filters and annual system cleanings.
- Smart thermostats can integrate with other smart home devices and use IFTTT support for seamless automation.
There are many reasons to buy a smart thermostat today and we’re going to look at a few of them! Smart thermostats continue to grow more popular due to their impressive management of your home’s heating and cooling system.
They help you save on your utility bills by wisely regulating your home’s temperature. So, even the thriftiest homeowner will appreciate a smart thermostat and its ability to keep you comfortable without the dollar signs adding up.
Some Background on Smart Thermostats
The Nest Learning Thermostat began the foray into Wi-Fi thermostat connectivity. That, and the reality of a device learning your household routine to create more intelligent energy schedules. That was back in 2011, and the devices have only gotten better since then.
Smart thermostats today are easy to install, and their operation is intuitive. Apps simplify setting your home’s temperature, and voice controls make it even quicker. So, whether you’re already in bed or visiting family in another state, when you realize you forgot to turn the heat down for the night, just open your phone app and make the adjustment.
You can save about 10% annually on home heating and cooling costs by setting your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees from the regular daytime setting. So, lowering your heat for eight hours at night while your family sleeps saves you money. And programmable smart thermostats do all the hard work for you. So, set it once and forget about it!
Of course, this money-saving technique works best in mild climates where the difference between outdoor and indoor temperatures is minimal. But if you ever need a reason to buy a smart thermostat, saving 10% on energy costs is a great motivator. In the summer, smart thermostats aid in humidity control and cooling with central air conditioning.
Some options sense movement in your house, and when movement stops because you’re away from home, the smart thermostats adjust the temperature for lower energy usage. Your phone’s location service tells it you’re heading home, so the temperature is comfortable when you arrive.
Reasons to Buy a Smart Thermostat
Here are some reasons to buy a smart thermostat and what you can expect to gain from one.
1. Touch Display
A bright touch display lets you easily program the thermostat, and it looks stylish in your home. You can generally see the screen across the room to know the current temperature at a glance. Some devices turn on their displays when you enter a room through the use of motion sensors.
2. Connectivity
Choose a smart thermostat that works with the rest of your home’s smart technology. For example, Nest devices all work together.
In addition, they work with many third-party devices, like smart fans and switches. IFTTT support lets you configure your thermostat to work with these compatible devices to reach your home’s comfort and energy settings.
©jmac23/Shutterstock.com
And for clarification: IFTTT (If This Then That) is a web-based automation platform for creating custom connections between different apps, services, and devices.
Use it to set up conditional statements or triggers (“if this”) and corresponding actions (“then that”) to automate tasks and create seamless interactions between various online services and smart devices.
3. Humidity Sensor
Humidity sensors notify you of high or low moisture levels in the air and adjust your heating or cooling accordingly. They use resistive or capacitive technologies to detect the air’s electrical property changes caused by humidity.
Then, the sensor relays information to your smart thermostat to keep your room comfortable and your system operating efficiently.
4. Weather Forecast
Accessing real-time weather data lets your smart thermostat adjust temperature and humidity settings based on the weather forecast. It helps optimize your energy use while keeping your home comfortable.
5. Geofencing Technology
Smart thermostats can automatically adjust your temperature when you leave home. Then, they’ll use your phone’s location service to know when you’re returning to re-heat or cool your rooms so that they’re comfortable when you return.
Geofencing technology tells the thermostat when you enter or exit your home’s virtual perimeter. Then, it uses your preset Home and Away settings to adjust your furnace or air conditioner.
6. Usage Report
Smart thermostats with usage reporting show historical data about how often your system runs and how long it takes to meet your desired temperatures. Access the report through the app to better understand your heating and cooling patterns, system performance, and energy consumption.
7. Maintenance Reminder
Some smart thermostats let you set up maintenance reminders so that you change the furnace and air filters on a regular schedule. They also prompt you for annual system cleanings or other maintenance necessities that are usually out of sight and out of mind.
8. Energy and Money Savings
Maybe the best reason to buy a smart thermostat is that they help your household save energy on utilities, which ultimately saves you money. These devices work smarter, so you don’t have to think about when your furnace or air conditioning kicks in. Instead, they monitor your usage and adjust it for the most energy efficiency.
Options for a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats keep your rooms comfortable and your energy costs downs. Here are some of our favorite options.
ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium with Smart Sensor and Air Quality Monitor
- Save up to 26% per year on heating and cooling costs
- Built-in air quality monitor
- Vibrant display with cinematic interface
- Complete home monitoring system
We love that this smart thermostat has an air quality monitor, making it especially popular in areas prone to wildfires. It also proves beneficial in densely populated areas with higher air pollution. Not only does the system alert you to the issue, but it also gives you improvement tips.
The ecobee Smart Thermostat comes with one room sensor, so you don’t have to worry about hot or cool spots in your home. Plus, the built-in occupancy detection knows if you’re home or away, so you only use energy when you need it. And it knows if you leave a door or window open, so you’re not letting heat escape to the outdoors.
The ecobee looks sleek with a bright display and intuitive interface. However, with the smart speaker, you can control your home’s comfort levels with simple voice commands. Or even listen to your favorite podcast or music through the system.
Amazon Smart Thermostat
- 33% post-consumer recycled plastics
- Energy dashboard in the Alexa app
- 2.4 GHz network connectivity
- 3 touch buttons
Amazon’s affordable smart thermostat is Energy Star certified and works with Alexa for voice control through your Echo or other Alexa-compatible devices. It doesn’t have its own microphone or speaker, though.
We like that it has an easy do-it-yourself installation by connecting to your system’s C-wire (common wire). So, that makes it compatible with most HVAC systems. And Alexa will walk you through the installation step-by-step. Additionally, this system makes it simple to switch from a traditional thermostat.
Alexa can program the thermostat for you or you can do it yourself with the app. So, rest easy if you feel uncertain about buying a cheaper Amazon product that may not be HVAC-industry-specific. The Amazon Smart Thermostat uses Honeywell Home Thermostat technology, and they’ve been in the home energy business for over a hundred years.
Honeywell Home RTH9600WF Smart Color Thermostat
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Customizable color screen
- On-screen indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity information
- Flexible programming options
And speaking of Honeywell, this Home Smart Color Thermostat is another Energy Star-certified option that helps you track energy use and get personal reduction tips to save you money. You may even qualify for local energy savings rebates on this product, so check with your local provider.
And no matter your thoughts about the program, this smart thermostat lets you enroll in the Demand Response Program. It rewards you for allowing the utility company to adjust your temperature settings during high-demand periods.
You decide if that program works for your household. And, in the meantime, control your home’s temperature from anywhere through Honeywell’s app. In addition, the device’s color screen is customizable, so change the display to any color for easy home screen viewing and temperature adjustments.
You can view indoor and outdoor weather information, including temperature and humidity. Plus, you’ll see a daily weather forecast for planning. This system requires a C-wire, so make sure it is compatible before purchasing.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat
- Auto-Schedule (learns from you and programs itself)
- Home/ Away Assist
- High-resolution display with Farsight
- Saves your energy history for quick reference
The third generation of the original learning thermostat, Google’s Nest, observes your habits for about a week and then programs itself through the Auto-Schedule functionality. It provides competent Home or Away assistance so you don’t cool or heat your empty house.
In addition, the smart thermostat uses geofencing to adjust the temperature once you leave, so you have one less task to remember. The Nest app is super intuitive, earning the system high ratings since 2011.
And it shows you a leaf symbol to let you know when you’ve chosen the most energy-efficient settings. How simple is that?
We appreciate the energy history function that helps you see consumption patterns. When you have more information, you can save more money.
And the compatible Nest temperature sensor tracks temperatures throughout your house and tells the smart thermostat when to engage to keep your rooms comfortable.
Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
- Features Filter Indicator, Clock Display, Fan Control, Auto Changeover
- 2.4 GHz connectivity
- 24 Volts (AC)
- 5-inch screen size
This smart thermostat has an easy installation and setup without requiring the C-wire in most applications. The Sensi offers flexible scheduling, usage reports, and remote access through its app.
But it looks more similar to a traditional thermostat than some options. It has push buttons, so if you’re more of a tactile person, this smart thermostat is an excellent choice.
Emerson’s Sensi ST55 is an affordable smart thermostat that works with Alexa, HomeKit, and other voice-activated platforms.
Wrapping Up Reasons to Buy a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats make creating a comfortable home atmosphere easy. Voice commands and bright, intuitive interfaces let you change the temperature quickly.
But the best reason to buy a smart thermostat is that it learns your habits and then adjusts your home’s HVAC system to keep your family warm all winter and cool all summer.
And it does the job in the most energy-efficient manner possible. So, you can save money on your home’s heating and cooling costs.
Summary Table
| Reason | Smart Thermostat Feature |
|---|---|
| 1 | Touch Display |
| 2 | Connectivity |
| 3 | Humidity Sensor |
| 4 | Weather Forecast |
| 5 | Geofencing Technology |
| 6 | Usage Report |
| 7 | Maintenance Reminder |
| 8 | Energy and Money Savings |
The image featured at the top of this post is ©ifoodijourney/Shutterstock.com.
