Have you been thinking about upgrading your thermostat?

Are you considering a thermostat upgrade? All the great things behind ‘smart’ tech and home automation can’t be denied. But why is it so beneficial? How do smart homes even work? And why are smart thermostats better the regular ones? Is there really a difference?

What is a Smart Thermostat?

A smart thermostat allows you to control your home’s temperature remotely from your phone or smart device.  This is a very unique capability and it makes operating it more convenient and it offers better control of heating and cooling. And surprisingly, it saves energy.

Benefits of Switching to a Smart Thermostat

Save Money

Smart thermostats are the most efficient way to cool your home if you take advantage of their features. 

App control

The hardest part about older thermostats that claimed to be energy-saving was their settings process. It was very complicated. Smart thermostats, on the other hand, are as easy as scrolling down Facebook. These apps are very user-friendly and way better than old thermostats.

Real-Time Energy Tracking

With old thermostats, there was no way to know how efficiently they were running until a bill came in. With these new thermostats, you can audit your energy spending in the app, this way you won’t get any more expensive surprises.

Smart thermostat features

The Smart Scheduling Wizards

You can now schedule your temperature preferences through the app.

Learning Algorithms

These thermostats learn from the user. For example, many people turn their thermostats down a few degrees at night. It will notice your behavior and begin making adjustments on its own after a couple of weeks.

Seasonal Adjustments

They will automatically adjust patterns of heating and cooling based on the change of the seasons

Occupancy Detection

If you’re trying to heat or cool an empty house, you will get higher power bills and will be wasting energy. Smart thermostats can learn when a house is usually occupied and act accordingly.

User Feedback

Most smart thermostats are designed to consistently provide the homeowner feedback, such as monthly reports on energy savings automatically sent to the homeowner’s email and suggestions for more efficient use.

Remote Control

Smart thermostats can be controlled from anywhere with an internet connection. Say you leave the AC running and leave on a road trip. If you had an older thermostat you will have an awfully high power bill. But if you have a smart one, you can remotely turn it off or down from wherever you are!

Do smart thermostats really save money?

Yes, if you use it properly. Nest, the leading manufacturer of smart thermostats reports that their average user saves $145 a year on heating and cooling. Other manufacturers are less open about their user data, but the average savings reported by real users is 10% to 20%, with the savings in heating costs being greater than that in A/C costs.

The following are some useful tips to make sure you save money with your smart thermostat.

• Set reasonable temperatures. Keep it higher than 65°F in a heatwave or under 78°F in a blizzard. Otherwise, you’re going to get an expensive bill.
• Seal drafty windows and doors.  If cold air is leaking out the door, you’re losing money. Smart thermostats also can’t close open windows.
• Upgrade older A/C units. If your A/C unit is over 10 years old, you could save up to 40% on cooling costs by upgrading to a newer model. 

Smart Thermostat Installation Contractors in Clearwater, FL

Our team at East-West Electric is here to answer any questions you may have about residential electrical work. If you are considering upgrading to a smart thermostat, call (727) 771-9403 today!