Smart home technology has become extremely popular in the last few years.
It’s apparent that people are increasingly interested in smart devices that help to streamline their homes without feeling like they’re living in a sci-fi movie.
While these gadgets can be expensive, many of them come with good and everyday benefits that you may not even realize you need until you install them in your home.
You might know what smart thermostats are and what they do, but have you ever considered buying one for your own home? If not, we think you should!
Smart thermostats are a great way to upgrade your old thermostat and make your home smarter.
Whether you’re looking for something budget-friendly or super high-end, read on for everything you need to know about smart thermostats before buying.
What Is A Smart Thermostat?
A smart thermostat is a device designed to control the temperature in your house. It monitors the temperature and humidity in your home and is connected to a system that allows it to change the temperature remotely.
This allows you to control the temperature of your home from anywhere you have internet access, such as your smartphone. A smart thermostat typically comes with a touch screen and can be controlled remotely.
A lot of them also have features like voice assistants, so you can use your voice to change the temperature. Some high-end models even include WiFi, so you can control your thermostat from anywhere in the world.
What Does A Smart Thermostat Do?
A smart thermostat will help you to save energy, which of course leads to lower energy bills. When you use a smart thermostat, you can set a different schedule for each day of the week so your house is warmer when you’re at work and cooler when you’re at home.
This means you can set your most comfortable temperatures when you’re home, and your savings will start stacking up.
A smart thermostat will also learn your habits over time, so it can predict when you’ll be away from home and change the temperature accordingly. This means your house will never be too hot or too cold, and you won’t be burning unnecessary energy.
Benefits of Using Smart Thermostat
1. Temperature Control
Smart thermostats let you control your home’s temperature from anywhere in the world. This means you can set your thermostat to keep your home at the perfect temperature while you’re on vacation, or while you’re at work during the summer.
2. Energy Saving
As we’ve already mentioned, smart thermostats help you to save energy and money. Energy-efficient thermostats are designed to reduce your energy use by at least 11 to 34%. This means that over time, the amount saved by using a smart thermostat will increase significantly.
3. Home Security
A smart thermostat can do more than just change the temperature in your house. A lot of them include sensors that can detect motion, smoke, and/or carbon monoxide. This means you can use your thermostat to keep an eye on your home while you’re away – great if you have pets or children at home.
4. Convenience
While you can manually control the temperature of your house using a non-smart thermostat, these devices make it easier to control your home’s temperature. They allow you to set schedules and timers, or change the temperature with your voice.
5. Programmable
Programmable thermostats are a great option if you have a schedule and want to program your heating and cooling system to automatically turn on or off. You can set it so that the temperature is programmed based on what time of day it is, as well as how warm or cold outside. This feature gives homeowners more control over their home's comfort level since they're able to customize their lifestyle without having to remember when they'll need some extra heat or AC during certain parts of the day.
6. HVAC System
With a smart thermostat, you can adjust your HVAC system more easily. This allows you to save money on your utility bills by reducing your electricity usage.
7. You can regulate the temperature of your home remotely
You can change the temperature of your home remotely. You can set it to automatically adjust the temperature, or you can manually adjust it based on your schedule. If there’s a heat wave or cold snap happening and your thermostat is far away from where most of the people in your home are, then this could be a great feature for keeping everyone comfortable.
8. Highly Customizable
You can set different temperature settings for different days of the week. For example, you may want to have a warm house on Monday and Tuesday but cool it down on Wednesday through Friday so that your pets can enjoy it as well. Or maybe you live in an apartment building where everyone has to pay extra electricity charges because they're using all of the hot water in their apartments at once? Smart thermostats allow you to control exactly how much energy is being used by each room in your home and adjust accordingly.
Best Smart Thermostat to Buy
For those who already have a choice of the thermostat at home, it's important that you make an informed decision about what product would be best for you. In order to help you out, I've researched the top-rated products
1. Nest Learning Thermostat (Best Overall)
Nest Learning Thermostat is the best thermostat on the market. It learns your habits and adjusts automatically, so you can set it to turn off when you leave for work or turn up when you get home. Nest also has an app that allows you to control your thermostat remotely from a smartphone or tablet (or even through voice commands).
If you're looking for a way to make your home more energy-efficient, this is one of the most effective ways to do it!
2. Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (Best for Voice Control)
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced is a smart thermostat that works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant. You can use it remotely or have it control your home's temperature when you're away. It also comes with some great features like an advanced home security system that scans for potential intruders and sends alerts if it detects anything unusual outside of your front door (or window).
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced's stylish design makes it easy to add visual appeal to any room of the house without taking up much space at all!
3. Nest Thermostat (Best Affordable Option)
Nest Thermostat is the affordable version, and it's still one of the best smart thermostats on the market. The only difference between this model and its more expensive siblings is that it doesn't connect wirelessly (it plugs into your wall).
This means you won't be able to control your home's temperature from anywhere else in your house—you'll need to be in close proximity for whatever reason. That said, if you're looking for something affordable but still want some smarts out of your thermostat, this might be just what you're looking for!
4. Honeywell Home T5 Smart Thermostat
The Honeywell Home T5 Smart Thermostat is a great option for people who want to save money and get the most out of their smart thermostat. It's affordable, but still offers most of the important features you'll need in a smart thermostat.
The Honeywell Home T5 Smart Thermostat works with Alexa and Apple HomeKit, as well as Google Assistant
5. Amazon Smart Thermostat
The Amazon Smart Thermostat is a voice-controlled device that works with Alexa and Google Assistant. It also has a built-in Wi-Fi radio, so you can control it with your smartphone or smart home hub. The thermostat is compatible with over 500 brands of heating and cooling units, making it easy to set up in any situation.
Cheap vs Expensive
When you're looking for a smart thermostat, you'll pay top dollar for the best products. The Nest Learning Thermostat, for example, costs $250 and does everything — including being able to control other devices in your house.
But there are plenty of cheaper options out there (like the Ecobee3 Lite), which offer most of the same features and more.
You just have to be willing to sacrifice some features in order to save money.
How To Install A Smart Thermostat?
Installing a smart thermostat is simple and straightforward, and most models don’t require any special tools or equipment. This means that you can usually install your new thermostat yourself, with minimal assistance. Below are a few tips and tricks for installing a smart thermostat.
Check your current thermostat
Before you buy a new thermostat, make sure your current thermostat is compatible with smart thermostats. Most traditional thermostats use low-voltage wires and are very easy to replace with a smart thermostat.
Choose the right model
There are many different kinds of smart thermostats available today. They all do the same basic thing, but they vary in price, functionality, and appearance. This means you can pick a thermostat to suit your needs, taste, and budget.
Install the thermostat
Once you’ve picked the right thermostat, installation is as simple as removing your old thermostat and replacing it with the new one. Most smart thermostats are attached to the wall with mounting screws, so you can either use the ones that came with your thermostat or buy new ones.
Why Smart Thermostats are Expensive
Smart thermostats are expensive because they're a new technology. If you're comparing them to traditional thermostats, they cost more than traditional ones. But if you compare them to other smart devices in your home, like smart plugs and lighting systems, the price starts to come down.
Smart thermostats are expensive for another reason: They're not cheap knockoffs of traditional ones. Instead, they have built-in sensors that let them learn about your habits and adjust their settings accordingly. That means they can become more than just a programmable thermostat — something that does exactly what you tell it to do every day.
Problems with Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat is meant to help you save money. A good one can help you reduce your electricity bill by up to 15% every month. But there are some problems with smart thermostats that you need to know about before you buy one. Here we'll look at common problems and how to overcome them.
1. Compatibility issues
While smart thermostats are easy to install, not every thermostat is compatible with a smart system. If you buy a new thermostat and it doesn’t work with your current wiring, it’s best to call a professional to have it installed for you.
2. Expensive
Smart thermostats are more expensive than their non-smart counterparts. This is because they are packed with technology, but you can use the money you save on your energy bills to help pay for your new thermostat.
3. Battery life
Some smart thermostats require batteries to run, which means they will eventually die like any other battery. This can be a hassle if you don’t know when the battery will die, so be sure to keep an eye on it.
4. Bugs and Software Issues
There have been many reports of thermostats crashing, having issues with the software, and even failing to connect to WIFI. This is likely to happen more frequently with cheaper brands as you get what you pay for.
5. They can be Hacked
You may have heard that smart devices are vulnerable to hacking and that they aren’t as secure as we’d like them to be. This is true for smart thermostats too.
6. Malfunctioning of the HVAC System
If your smart thermostat isn’t compatible with your HVAC system, or it has completely misread the information that the system is feeding it, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to make it work.
Is Wireless Thermostat Reliable?
Wireless thermostats are indeed reliable. But of course, there can always be exceptions to the rule. Let's take a closer look at why wireless thermostats are reliable, and what you can do to ensure that your specific thermostat is working properly.
Wireless thermostats are reliable for a number of reasons. First of all, the technology behind them has come a long way in recent years and is now very sophisticated. Secondly, most reputable brands of wireless thermostats undergo rigorous testing before they hit the market, so you can be confident that they will work as advertised.
That said, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your wireless thermostat is working properly.
First of all, make sure that the batteries are fresh and that the thermostat is placed in a location where it will get a good signal from the wireless transmitter. If you're still having trouble, consult the user manual or contact the manufacturer for assistance.
See immediate results
You will see the difference in your energy bill.
You'll notice that you're using less energy when the temperature is set lower, and then you may decide to keep it there.
This means saving money on utility bills while keeping your home warm and pleasant during cold winter months.
There are also many other benefits of having a smart thermostat like improved comfort levels, which helps to prevent headaches or migraines caused by overheating or cooling too quickly as well as extended comfort periods at lower temperatures (which means fewer repairs).
You can also feel comfortable knowing that everything is running smoothly at all times with this device installed in place; you won't be interrupted by any false alarms because they're handled by our servers so there won't be any unexpected surprises when trying out new features like "heat wave" mode where it turns up the heat temporarily until we switch back off again next morning through voice commands!
Bottom line
A smart thermostat is a device designed to control the temperature in your house.
It monitors the temperature and humidity in your home and is connected to a system that allows it to change the temperature remotely.
A smart thermostat typically comes with a touch screen and can be controlled remotely.
They help you to save energy, electricity bill, and time by scheduling heating and cooling automatically.
Additionally, some smart thermostats have sensors that can detect motion, smoke, and/or carbon monoxide.
Wireless thermostats are reliable and a great option for home heating and cooling. Just take a few simple precautions to ensure that your thermostat is working properly and you'll be good to go!