Smart thermostats are becoming more popular as the internet-of-things increases. Smart thermostats are new, but they offer convenience, efficiency, and other features that can help homeowners save on energy expenditures. A smart thermostat can be operated remotely by a smartphone, tablet, smart speaker, or other internet-connected device. Smart thermostats can be used in a home automation system to plan your desired temperature.
Important Smart Thermostat Features
Smart thermostats have numerous useful features.
AI-Learning: AI-based thermostats can learn your family’s heating and cooling preferences and adjust settings accordingly.
Automatic Problem Detection: Another popular feature of better smart thermostats is their capacity to identify and diagnose ductwork or HVAC system issues and notify an HVAC service provider. Smart thermostats also remind you to change your furnace filter or perform season maintenance.
Energy Savings: Finally, some smart thermostats provide energy use data.
Smart Assistant: Some smart thermostats have a built-in smart assistant, allowing voice control without a smart speaker.
Individual Room Sensors: Some thermostats have room sensors that assess temperatures in different rooms of the house, reducing hot and cold spots.
Geofencing: This function lets your thermostat understand when your family is home and active and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Advantages of Smart Thermostats over Traditional Thermostats
To maintain a set temperature in your living room, a thermostat measures the temperature. When you turn up the heat on an analog thermostat, a thermometer coil turns and activates a mercury switch. Mercury activates a relay to start your furnace’s heating and circulation fan. As the room temperature rises, the thermometer coil unwinds and tips the mercury switch back, breaking the circuit and turning off the heat.
Thermistor-based digital thermostats sense temperature. Thermistor resistance fluctuates with temperature. The digital thermostat’s microcontroller translates resistance to temperature.
Programmable settings make digital thermostats helpful. For instance, you can configure it to automatically turn up the heat for an hour or two in the morning while your family gets ready for work and school, turn it down till you return home, put it up again in the evening when everyone is up, and turn it down again while the family sleeps. Because your heating system uses less energy when you’re away or asleep, this can save you a lot of money.
Smart thermostats are digital thermostats with WiFi hardware. An app from the thermostat manufacturer lets you modify settings from anywhere. The smart thermostat sends a signal to the blower motor, heater, or AC when you alter a setting on the app. Smart thermostats with smart speakers like Google Home or Amazon Alexa let you modify the temperature or timing with voice commands instead of your phone.
Cost Savings with Smart Thermostats
A smart thermostat uses energy only when needed, saving money. Smart thermostats use AI learning, scheduling, geofencing, and system diagnosis and maintenance reminders to run more effectively and use less energy.
How Do Programmable and Smart Thermostats Differ?
Programmable thermostats switch on and off according to the user’s schedule. Unlike a programmed thermostat, a smart thermostat helps you program based on your family’s schedule. If your smart thermostat is WiFi-connected, you can alter it from anywhere.
Smart Thermostat Installation Requirements
Most homes with sophisticated HVAC systems can install smart thermostats. 18- or 20-gauge solid, colored wires carry low-voltage data from a thermostat. If your system is 20–25 years old, it may not be compatible.
The Nest website says your HVAC system isn’t smart thermostat-compatible if it includes has stranded thermostat wires; wire nuts connecting thick, stranded thermostat wires; runs on 110v or 120v; or it needs a “common” or C-wire.
Schedule routine maintenance and ask Elite Climate Control’s highly skilled, certified HVAC technicians if your system can accommodate a smart thermostat.
