Smart Thermostats Manage Your Home Environment for More Ease and Comfort
I don’t need to tell you that heating and cooling system utility bills are astronomically high. You already know. But did you know energy-consumption waste is the main culprit in driving up your energy bills? There are many steps you can take to lower your energy bill, among them sealing leaks to prevent cold air from entering your living space; using the sun to keep your home warmer during the day; shielding your windows and doors from drafts; weather-stripping to prevent cold air from entering, and more.
Programmable Thermostats: Energy-Efficiency in Action
One of the key ways to also conserve energy consumption is to calibrate your thermostat at night, and when you are away from home. Performing this step will save you anywhere from 12%–15% off your power bill. The drawback to manually setting and re-setting your thermostat is that you will still come home to a house that is uncomfortably cold or hot. This is why purchasing a programmable thermostat is a wise decision in terms of allowing you to designate at what times you desire your thermostat to be turned on and off, day or night, at home or away from home. Two other benefits of using a programmable thermostat are: (1) it will help to lower your energy bill and (2) lengthen the life of your HVAC units.Many consumers in general think a programmable thermostat and a smart thermostat are one and the same, but they’re not. Programmable thermostats can determine temperature regulation, which delivers the benefits of energy conservation, known as smart technology. However, a smart thermostat has an additional feature called auto scheduling, which allows you to program it. This means if the daily routines of your family are run on a consistent schedule, auto scheduling, using the settings you enter into the smart thermostat will take over, relieving you of manually needing to set and re-set your thermostat. In addition, if your family’s schedules are not predictable from one day to the next the smart thermostat will become aware of the comings and goings of family members, and adjust temperature regulation accordingly. In fact, as time passes the smart thermostat will monitor your home’s temperature with more accuracy. A smart thermostat has built-in flexibility in that you needn’t use the smart technology if it doesn’t suit your lifestyle.
Temperature Management
Top-of-the-line digital thermostats are masters at controlling temperatures of all HVAC units. The best models on the market support programmable fans on your AC unit. Once the compressor shuts down the programmable fan will continue to operate for a short duration, using the remaining cold air in your AC unit, or pull in fresh air from outside your house. This is energy efficiency at its best. Another smart thermostat feature is auto changeover, which permits the thermostat to switch back and forth between cooling and heating functions as necessary.
Energy Savings through Efficiency Features
Here are some pointers on what to look for in a smart thermostat to help save energy consumption:
Temperature Deviation
Standard digital thermostats have a deviation of one degree or less. This is beneficial in that you get optimal comfort but your HVAC unit will turn on and off more often, causing your HVAC unit to run harder, shortening its lifespan. In terms of energy efficiency you would be well advised to choose a digital thermostat, whose deviation is wider because it will consume less energy. And why? The temperature will alter more before the HVAC unit is initiated.
One-Phase vs. Multi-Phase
A one-phase digital thermostat is limited to just shutting on and off. But if this meets your needs, go with a one-phase digital thermostat. However, a multi-phase digital thermostat has three automated heating levels: low, medium, and high. It is programmed to automatically proceed from level one to level two to level three to quickly heat up your home as necessary, until the optimal comfort temperature has been reached.
Energy Saving through Auto Scheduling
Digital thermostats in general are made to save energy, their reason for being. But the best ones have auto scheduling. Not only can auto scheduling determine your family’s daily routines and habits, but can also monitor weather patterns in your area. The smart thermostat can also find out about your preferences.
Geofencing
Smart thermostats’ motion sensors permit your HVAC systems to identify and respond on days when you arrive home earlier or later than you normally do. The way the geofencing feature works is it secures an area around the perimeter of your house that integrates with the location of your smart phone. Your smart thermostat will switch to an away setting as you move beyond your house’s geofencing area and return to its usual setting, warming your home to a comfortable level by the time you enter your house. The benefit is that no energy is expended in cooling or heating your house while no one’s home.
Home Automation System
If you have a home automation system (HAS), find out if the smart thermostat you’re interested in buying will be compatible with your HAS. The smart thermostat’s Wi-Fi feature will integrate with your iPad or smart phone, enabling you to adjust settings whenever, wherever, or however long you are away from your home.
DIY or Professional HVAC Installation?
You have the choice to either have your smart thermostat professionally installed, or perform the installation yourself, even on the premier models. If you decide you’d like to take on the challenge of doing the installation yourself, your best bet is to seek out a manufacturer that provides self-installation tutorials. If you want to ensure you get the right smart thermostat for your HVAC units, look for a company that has an online tool to see if the digital thermostat you’re considering is compatible with the HVAC units in your home.
Tech Support
The best-quality smart thermostat companies provide a variety of resources to turn to, regarding the installation, operation, and troubleshooting of your digital thermostat. The customer care choices can range from email to phone to live-chat tech support. Some manufacturers also host online forums where you can interact with technical support professionals, as well as other users about software issues, or the operation of your smart thermostat. The more resources a company provides the better for you because you can draw from a breadth of knowledge to find the solution to any software problem you may be experiencing.Another strong selling point for buying the best digital thermostats is the length of their warranties, which can range anywhere from two to five years.Today energy-efficiency is important, not only in terms of lowering your power bills, but also in preventing your heating and cooling systems from working overtime, making them last longer.