A smart thermostat is a digital thermostat that offers a Wi-Fi connection and that you can use to control your home’s A/C system. Through a free app that is downloaded to your smartphone, computer, or tablet, you can monitor your energy usage and if needed, adjust your home temperature. Smart thermostats offer an assortment of features that keep your home comfortable, help you monitor and manage energy usage, and can assist in saving money by reducing your A/C cooling costs. Bear in mind that it’s not uncommon for A/C energy consumption to consist of approximately 60% of a South Florida household’s monthly energy bill. Optimizing energy consumption with a smart thermostat makes a lot of cents! Smart thermostats also make household A/C management more convenient by giving you greater control over your system, whether you are home or traveling across the Country.
Five Key Benefits to Smart Thermostats
- Ease of Use
Unlike traditional programmable thermostats without Wi-Fi connectivity, smart thermostats are easy to set up and program, with modern touch screens and an intuitive, user-friendly layout.
- Remote Access
The downloadable app of a smart thermostat allows you to access your thermostat remotely – anytime, anywhere – as long as you are on a device connected to the Internet. You can think of a smart thermostat as a window into your home, particularly if you have a second vacation home. The app will provide you with real-time information about the temperature inside your home. Some smart thermostats will alert you when the temperature goes above or below a pre-set temperature range, which could indicate a problem with your A/C system. You could even be notified when the thermostat is disconnected from the wireless network, or in the event of a power outage.
- Intuitive and Self-Learning Technology
If you have ever left your A/C system running all day while you were out, you will like geofencing. In simple terms, this is a technology that creates a virtual boundary for your home. When you leave the boundary, your smart thermostat tells your HVAC that you are not home, turning it off, or putting it in ‘out of home’ mode. As you approach the boundary, for example, if you are on your way home, it will prompt your A/C system to come on and bring your home to your predetermined temperature before you get into the house. Some smart thermostats go a little bit further: they employ self-learning systems that use movement detectors to ‘see’ which parts of a house are active and when. They ‘learn’ what temperature you like in each part of your house and develop a personalized temperature plan for your home. They can also sense additional movement in the house. For instance, they can drop the temperature to accommodate a growing number of people during a party. When your guests have left, the smart thermostat will go back to its regularly scheduled programming.
- Reduce Your Energy Consumption and Costs
Geofencing makes it easy for smart thermostats to reduce your A/C part of energy bills by automatically adjusting when no one is home, and, starting it up so that you come home to a refreshingly cool environment in the hot South Florida Summer. Self-learning systems make your A/C system more cost-efficient with even less effort on your part. By learning your habits, such as when you’re in the house and when you wake up, it creates personalized temperature schedules for your home that are far more efficient and less wasteful. Smart thermostats also nudge you towards energy-friendly habits, by recommending when to turn down the A/C and adding gamification elements like rewards badges when you reach new levels of energy efficiency.
Independent studies have shown that smart thermostats can provide users with energy savings of up to 10-15%.
- A Sleek, Stylish Home Addition
Smart thermostats are tasteful replacements for clunky looking old-school thermostats. Most have elegant, modern designs that add to a home’s décor. Many smart thermostats also work hand in hand with other Wi-Fi enabled smart home devices like Google Home or Amazon Echo, giving you hands-free control of your home environment. You can simply ask Google, Alexa, or any home assistant device to set your cooling to a certain temperature, or, to check your home temperature.
You can start ‘smartening’ your home with the installation of a smart thermostat. There are lots of benefits to making this change. Smart thermostats offer a great deal of control and convenience over your A/C system. You will be able to adjust your system settings with your smart phone wherever you are, whenever you want. Some smart thermostats can improve energy efficiency by monitoring your household schedule and weather changes.
Quality First Air Conditioning is a Google Nest Pro Dealer. If your Nest smart thermostat is installed by a Nest Pro Dealer, the Nest product warranty will increase 3 additional years for a total of 5 years on your Nest smart thermostat.
Article By Bret Boehly
