Standard thermostats are no longer the most popular choice for temperature control in modern homes. Smart, programmable, and Wi-Fi thermostats make it easier for homeowners to regulate indoor temperatures, save money, and protect their heating and cooling equipment. Of the three, smart thermostats offer the greatest flexibility and the best financial returns. If you need a new thermostat in Lake Havasu City, AZ, a smart thermostat could be well worth the cost.
What Are Smart Thermostats?
Smart thermostats are advanced learning devices. Once installed, they begin collecting information about users’ schedules, habits, and temperature preferences. They leverage this data to refine their performance and optimize both energy savings and home comfort.
Although you can program a smart thermostat to make scheduled temperature changes, it will become increasingly able to adjust itself. This way, if everyone leaves your home in a rush, your smart thermostat can adjust HVAC performance to reflect real-time changes in occupancy. These devices often are equipped with motion sensors. Some also use mobile phone location data and passive infrared (PIR) technology to accurately determine residents’ comings and goings.
Automate Temperature Changes
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), adjusting thermostat settings by 7 to 10 degrees before going to bed or leaving the home could decrease heating and cooling costs by 10% annually. With standard thermostats, homeowners must remember to make these adjustments manually. You can program a smart thermostat to make multiple temperature changes throughout the day according to your work and sleep schedules. This eliminates human error and allows consumers to make the most of these potential savings.
Enjoy Remote Access
Smart thermostats are Wi-Fi connected. These devices come with branded mobile apps that consumers can download to their smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, or other Wi-Fi-connected devices. With a smart thermostat, you can monitor your home’s temperature and HVAC performance from any location with an active connection to the internet.
Remote access makes it easy to make real-time temperature changes from work or while on vacation. If you’re away from home and someone increases your thermostat very high or low, you can make as-needed adjustments right away.
It’s even possible to set your smart thermostat to send alerts when residents make unauthorized temperature changes. Best of all, homeowners can establish authorized users. This way, teenagers and small children can’t tamper with thermostat settings without permission.
Track HVAC Performance
Smart thermostats do far more than optimize temperature control and provide remote access. They also track HVAC system performance. If you’re at work and your furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner starts short-cycling, overheating, or intermittently shutting off, you’ll find out right away. You can act quickly to rectify the problem.
Smart thermostats can send real-time alerts for:
- Changes in airflow
- Spikes in energy use
- Indoor air quality (IAQ) issues
- Clogged filters
- Worn components
In many cases, these alerts also prove helpful for HVAC technicians. When HVAC systems break down, technicians can incorporate the data provided by smart thermostat alerts into their diagnostic processes.
Catch and Correct Problems Before They Escalate
Another way in which smart thermostats pay for themselves is by helping homeowners identify HVAC performance issues early on. With a smart thermostat, you can prevent a small problem like a blocked air filter or a dirty evaporator coil from affecting other functions and components. With real-time alerts and timely interventions, you can limit your repair costs and protect the lifespan of your heating and cooling equipment.
Get Helpful Energy Insights
Smart thermostats additionally offer energy consumption tracking. With a smart thermostat, you can analyze changes in your energy use from month to month and year to year. Detailed energy consumption reports help homeowners adjust their thermostat settings for increased energy savings. Smart thermostats also offer insight into age-related decreases in HVAC efficiency. With energy tracking, you can make informed decisions about when to replace older heaters, heat pumps, and ACs.
HVAC Maintenance Alerts
Staying on top of essential HVAC maintenance is easy with a smart thermostat. These devices send out regular HVAC maintenance alerts and filter change reminders. These alerts are especially helpful for homeowners with busy schedules and lots of home equipment to maintain. You’ll get notifications when it’s time for heater and AC tune-ups and when collected filter debris affects airflow.
Smart Home System Integration
Smart thermostats can integrate with other smart home features. This allows for adaptive temperature control, enhanced energy savings, and greater ease of use and maintenance. With smart home integration, you can track and control all your smart home technologies remotely and from a single device. You’ll also have greater insight into overall energy use and an enhanced ability to curb energy consumption.
Optimize HVAC Zoning
If you have a zoned HVAC system, smart thermostats with geo-fencing can optimize its performance. Geofencing establishes virtual boundaries around and throughout buildings. As people move about within these perimeters or leave, smart thermostats adjust air delivery accordingly. With smart thermostats and geofencing, your zoned HVAC system can provide temperature and humidity control in occupied areas only.
Smart Thermostats Can Pay for Themselves
As per the DOE, even entry-level smart thermostats can reduce home energy bills by up to 8% annually. For most households, this results in savings of at least $50 each year. Although estimates vary, mid-level and high-end thermostats could reduce home energy bills by as much as 20% annually, especially when paired with other smart home devices.
It’s estimated that most smart thermostats pay for themselves within just one to two years of installation. The average lifespan of smart thermostats is 7 to 10 years. Thus, you could enjoy significant returns on your investment for at least five years.
Is a Smart Thermostat Right for You?
While there are many benefits that smart thermostats offer, these devices aren’t for every home. If you work at home and spend a lot of time indoors, you may get sufficient support at a lesser cost from a Wi-Fi thermostat, a standard thermostat, or a programmable model.
Dealing With Erratic Schedules
Programmable thermostats work well for people with relatively static schedules. Although you can set a programmable thermostat to make multiple temperature changes throughout the day, this device won’t react to sudden departures. With built-in motion detection and other technologies for tracking users’ movements, smart thermostats are best for busy households and people constantly on the go.
Data Tracking
Some consumers are leery of the amount of information collection and data tracking that smart thermostats entail. However, capabilities such as user tracking and location detection are critical for optimizing HVAC performance and energy savings. If you’re comfortable with smart home technologies and want enhanced comfort and convenience, a smart thermostat is right for you.
Upgrade Your Thermostat Today
Air Control Home Services proudly serves Lake Havasu City and the surrounding communities. We offer thermostat installation, maintenance, and repair services. Locals can turn to us for cutting-edge smart thermostats at affordable prices. We can also help you better understand home efficiency upgrades and rebates that go along with them.
As a family-owned and -operated HVAC company, we’ve been a top choice for HVAC service since 1990. To experience the benefits of smart thermostats firsthand, contact Air Control Home Services in Lake Havasu City today.
