✔️ Is it worth buying a smart thermostat?
– Reviews News
If your home already has central heating or air conditioning, you should be familiar with the concept of thermostats. These devices help you manually lower or raise the temperature in your home. However, a smart thermostat is often the next best solution. However, smart thermostats are expensive. And that brings us to a simple question: is it worth buying a smart thermostat?
Well, that's what we're going to explore today when explaining how a smart thermostat works and the benefits it brings.
Since this is going to be a long read, let's get started, shall we? But, first,
What is a smart thermostat?
Like most smart home devices, smart thermostats also make your life easier by allowing you to control your home temperature through an app to smartphone. Unsurprisingly, they connect to your home Wi-Fi network. By letting you control the temperature from the comfort of your phone, you get the convenience associated with smart home devices. The best part is that some high-end thermostats are compatible with digital assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. You can adjust the temperature with simple voice commands.
Example: Nest Learning Thermostat
You can also create schedules and base the temperature on your needs.
Over time, smart thermostats have also become increasingly intelligent. Some smart thermostats can now "learn" your behavior and adjust the temperature based on your habits and daily routine. One of the best examples of these behavioral learning thermostats is Google Nest.
It helps you save money and energy by going into power saving mode when it detects no one in the room or when you are away from home. Google Nest relies on motion sensors, temperature sensors and connected smartphones. Over time, it will learn your behavior and adjust heating or cooling accordingly. At the same time, some thermostats adjust the room temperature according to local weather conditions.
But smart thermostats work best if you have HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) or central air conditioning. But if you live in an older home that uses hot water heaters, you may see less of a difference in energy use or utility bills.
How is it different from conventional thermostats?
A smart thermostat has many more sensors than conventional thermostats. As stated above, you need the help of a motion detector to see if the room is empty. Some smart thermostats have geolocation features. So if you leave your house, the device will.
Most importantly, you get a nifty interface on your smartphone where you can control the temperature and set automatic schedules. Compared to the bulky button on traditional thermostats, these features seem like a godsend.
Do they save you money?
One of the best benefits of smart thermostats is that they help you save on your electricity bill and money by turning off or going into energy-saving mode when not actively in use. Of course, you won't see the changes overnight. As the Smart Thermostat learns your behavior over time or you set up smart routines and schedules, you'll see changes in your electricity bill.
A study by the Environmental Protection Agency suggests that quality smart thermostats can save up to 8% on utility bills. Note that the numbers will depend on your electricity bill rate and consumption.
The good news is that installing smart thermostats is a simple procedure. You can install it like a conventional non-smart thermostat. However, you will have to go to the trouble of connecting it to your home Wi-Fi network and make sure that the connection module or the main device is within a good Wi-Fi range.
After that, it will take a few days for the smart device to adjust to your routines and schedules. Or, if you're not one of the high-end models, you can model your routines and temperature to your preference.
smart controls
In addition to automation features, some smart thermostats come with smart alerts, geo-fencing and voice commands, etc. As you might have guessed, this adds to the comfort. The best part is that you can control it remotely. Want to come home to a warm and cozy room, a simple tap on the app will do.
Some smart sensors, like those from Tado, have smart radiator valves that help regulate the temperature of each room. Naturally, you can optimize the temperature of a room according to the need of the moment. Again, the same rule applies: your home must be compatible with these smart systems to work best. That said, some smart sensors also pair well with individual temperature sensors.
Example: Nest Temperature Sensor
Another cool feature is smart alerts. These alerts prompt you to switch to extreme cooling or heating temperatures and thus help you save energy.
At the same time, you can create an army of smart home devices using routines or recipes. For example, you can set your smart thermostat to switch back to energy saving mode or turn it off when it detects an open door or window via the smart door sensor. Cool, right? After all, energy saving is the key here.
Should you buy a smart thermostat?
If you're worried about your high utility bills and electricity savings, you already know the answer to that question. Even if you don't opt for the machine learning and AI convenience associated with high-end thermostats, you can still choose one of the entry-level smart thermostats. These devices will allow you to control everything from your phone.
SOURCE: Reviews News
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