Why Smart Thermostats Are Worth It

If you want a way to save money and energy in your home, it might be a worthwhile investment to explore getting a smart thermostat. These devices can do everything from monitor when you leave the house, so that it doesn’t throw away electricity heating or cooling an empty home, to changing energy usage based on how many people are in a room or what time of day it is. 

We’ll review what a smart thermostat is, how it runs and why it’s worth it to purchase one. We’ll also discuss how it can help you spend less money on your energy bills by decreasing energy consumption. 

What Is a Smart Thermostat? 

A smart thermostat is an automated device that allows you to do it all from changing your heating and cooling settings for different times of day, to monitoring when people are in the house, so it isn’t wasting energy by heating or cooling an empty home. 

Many smart thermostats have learning abilities, which means they pay attention to how you adjust your settings and make automatic adjustments as time passes based on what they learn from you. 

A smart thermostat connects to Wi-Fi, so you’ll be able to adjust and keep track of your energy usage from just about anywhere. 

How Do Smart Thermostats Work? 

A smart thermostat has learning algorithms and can hook up with other smart home technology, like Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit, for improved control over your comfort. They work with most systems, such as home heating and air conditioning. 

Smart thermostat features include a temperature sensor that can tell when the home is empty, and then automatically adjust to an energy-efficient setting. Your smart thermostat might be able to geofence with your phone to know when you’re at home or out. 

A smart thermostat does things like adapt more for rooms that are occupied or have more people in them, as well as monitor what time of day it is so it knows how much heating or air conditioning should be used. 

Are Smart Thermostats Worth It? 

For some people, the answer is yes. If you do a lot of traveling or are gone for many hours during the day, it may be worth your money to invest in one of these devices. You could save a significant amount, especially if you forget to change it when you leave for the office or go out of town for the weekend. 

You won’t have to be concerned about whether your smart thermostat is on the appropriate program, or if you remembered to adjust the temperature setting before you left. It doesn’t require a lot of effort from you, but you’ll notice it in reduced energy bills. 

Smart Thermostats vs. Programmable Thermostats 

Many homeowners have a standard programmable thermostat, but 40% of them aren’t set properly. This means you could be missing opportunities to save on heating and cooling expenses. 

Smart thermostats are handy because they learn your schedule and automate heating and cooling to match. You can set a similar schedule on a programmable thermostat. But it’s more work to program your thermostat by hand. 

A smart thermostat conveniently adjusts and progressively changes the temperature inside your home for the biggest energy savings. If you manually change a programmable thermostat, you can overburden your HVAC system and make it work harder to meet your adjustments. 

Do Smart Thermostats Save Energy? 

Yes, since your smart thermostat will learn from your temperature preferences and day-to-day activities to make a schedule that saves on heating and cooling costs. You don’t have to do much as your thermostat does all the work for you while saving money. 

You can get the same energy savings with a programmable thermostat, but it’s going to take a little bit more effort than a smart thermostat. To set up a schedule on programmable models, we suggest following these recommendations from ENERGY STAR® to save energy. 

Recommended Temperature Settings for Your Heating System 

  • Wake: Below 70 degrees. 
  • Day: Set back at least 8 degrees, if no one is there. 
  • Evening: Higher than 70 degrees. 
  • Sleep: Set back at least 8 degrees. 

Suggested Temperature Settings for Your Cooling System 

  • Wake: Greater than 78 degrees. 
  • Day: Set up at least 7 degrees, if no one is there. 
  • Evening: Cooler than 78 degrees. 
  • Sleep: Set up at least 4 degrees. 

As you can see, you don’t have to buy a smart thermostat to spend less on your energy bill. All you need is a programmable thermostat, but it’s essential to note that any savings may come at the cost of your comfort and convenience.  

Do Smart Thermostats Save Money

Nest, one of the most prominent smart thermostat manufacturers, says its smart thermostat saves U.S. households about: 

  • 10-12% on your heating bill 
  • 15% on your cooling bill 
  • $131 to $145 on your energy bill annually 

Your smart thermostat will provide you with a monthly heating and cooling report, which usually compares you to other residences in the area. 

Your possible savings differ based on your house, where you live, how much insulation you have and your preferred temperature settings. You might see average savings, significant savings or somewhere in the middle. 

If you’re noticing you’re only getting small savings on energy costs, you might be optimizing for energy efficiency already. This includes turning off your HVAC system when you’re not at home or moving your thermostat up/down when you’re sleeping. 

Smart thermostats make the process simple through their hands-off process that gradually shifts the temperature. If you’re at home often, it might not save you money on energy costs as is the point in an automatic, energy-efficient schedule. 

How to Get a Smart Thermostat Rebate 

Most utility companies give rebates to homeowners who purchase energy-saving, ENERGY STAR-certified equipment such as a smart thermostat. The rebate amount varies by company, but in most instances, it will take care of most or all the expense. To find out more, check your utility company’s website for rebate info. 

Depend On the Experts for Your Smart Thermostat Needs 

Installing a smart thermostat is an investment, but it can help you spend less money in the end. If you’ve been considering getting one and want to know if they run as promised, we provide free home comfort assessments. Call our Experts at 866-397-3787 to request yours today! 

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