The Intermediate Guide to Smart Thermostats for Home
If you’re like most people, you probably think of a thermostat as the device that controls your home’s temperature. And while that is certainly one of its functions, today’s smart thermostats do so much more. In fact, they can be an invaluable tool for helping you save energy and money. If you’re thinking about upgrading to a smart thermostat, or are just curious about what they can do, this guide is for you. We’ll cover the basics of how these devices work, what features to look for when shopping for one, and how to install and use it once you have it.
How Does A Smart Thermostat Work?
A smart home thermostat is a thermostat that connects to the internet, allowing you to control it remotely. While heat and cooling your home may seem like simple tasks, there are actually many factors involved, including humidity levels. This makes managing home comfort complex enough for smart home systems.
Because home comfort can be affected by poor airflow in some cases, traditional system controls are not always faithful predictors of what will make you comfortable–but with smart home technology, people have access to fine-grain measurements of indoor conditions that give them more precise insights into their home’s climate control.
Smart home thermostats often include features that allow you to customize your heating/cooling needs based on time of day or day of the week. For example, you can program heating settings to change based on whether or not any home members are home.
Smart home thermostats may also offer the ability to configure your home into “zones”. Each zone can be controlled independently of other zones in the home. Some smart home thermostats allow multiple users to set their own preferred temperatures and time schedules.
What Are the Differences Between Smart Thermostats and Regular Thermostats?
A home smart thermostat provides homeowners with multiple benefits. Mainly, they allow for more efficient home heating and cooling because the homeowner can control the device from anywhere in the world through a smartphone app or other home automation hub.
Standard programmable thermostats are great because they save homeowners money on their monthly energy bills by automatically adjusting home temperatures. In fact, according to the US Department of Energy over half of all households contain at least one standard programmable thermostat.
Unlike standard programmable thermostats, however, home smart thermostats do not limit you to only being able to adjust your home’s temperature when you’re at home or awake – giving you peace of mind while you’re away from home and making it easy to maintain a consistent home temperature.
Additionally, home smart thermostats allow for a range of home automation functionalities such as home security and home lighting control. In fact, many home smart thermostats have voice assistants built right in so you can ask your Google Home or Amazon Alexa to adjust your home’s climate on demand.
While the basic functions of smart home thermostats remain the same, there are several different types to choose from. Programmable models let you input a schedule that tells the unit when to heat or cool your home. Mechanical and electronic controls tend to be less expensive than smart-learning or touchscreen thermostats, but they require more effort on the part of homeowners because you’ll need to program them yourself.
- Programmable Thermostat: A traditional programmable model is ideal for people who don’t want any hassle or extra steps in programming their thermostat. All you have to do is enter a few numbers into a keypad and voila! You can easily go about your day without having to think about adjusting the home temperature.
- Mechanical Thermostat: This type of device has a round dial that lets you manually change the home temperature as needed. You can set it to turn off or on at pre-set times, but you’ll need to make those settings yourself with this simpler model.
- Electronic Thermostat: This home smart thermostat uses a digital display and a keyboard for ease of use. It also displays the current home temperature and enables you to adjust it going forward without any problems – just press the up or down arrow buttons until you reach your desired setting. You can program these types of home smart thermostats to turn off and on at various times during the day so they save energy while you’re home or away.
- Touchscreen Thermostat: The 21st-century home smart thermostat, this home appliance features an LCD touchscreen that makes it easy for homeowners to control the home’s climate system. Most touchscreen devices offer smart home connectivity so you can control them with your smartphone.
They also often come with voice assistants built in so you can ask for home heating and cooling changes hands-free. Some models even let you adjust home settings while away from home by way of a web app or virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
While there are several different types of home smart thermostats to choose from, most provide users with similar benefits when compared side-by-side. Thus, when looking into home smart thermostats, homeowners should focus more on the type of device that fits their home’s unique needs and lifestyle rather than worrying about any minor differences.
What Are The Benefits Of Owning A Smart Thermostat?
Regardless of which home smart thermostat you opt for, there is a range of benefits to owning one. For instance, home smart thermostats help owners save money on home energy bills because they automatically adjust home temperatures as needed.
In fact, many models can be programmed according to a pre-set schedule so owners don’t have to worry about adjusting the home temperature themselves during set times each day – saving them time and effort in the process! Additionally, home smart devices often come with smartphone apps or other home automation hubs that allow users to change the home’s climate system
The features offered by smart home thermostats vary widely depending on the manufacturer and model, but many models represent a substantial improvement over traditional home systems. You should expect features like geofencing technology allowing you to automatically activate or deactivate, heating or cooling when entering or leaving your home, humidity control, remote access capabilities, advanced scheduling systems, control over individual rooms including home theater rooms, and more.
What Do I Need To Know About Compatible HVAC Systems?
Many home smart home thermostats will only work with certain types of home heating and cooling systems. For instance, you may need to upgrade your home’s wiring in order to support home automation technology. These changes can be expensive so it’s important to understand the compatibility requirements of each smart device before making a purchase.
Additionally, some home air conditioner units are incompatible with home smart devices due to their age or size (meaning they’re just too big) – while others don’t come with built-in WiFi capabilities needed for remote access. This information is usually located within the product specifications of each device so it’s important that you pay close attention to this detail.
How Do I Install A Smart Thermostat?
Installation of home smart thermostats is incredibly easy. These devices are basically like an advanced version of the home’s heating and cooling system. When you make updates to the home, such as home renovations or adding new home appliances, it is helpful to know how to install them by yourself.
You should be able to follow the included instructions on the product box upon receiving your smart home upgrade item. If you require any assistance with installation, contact a local HVAC specialist who can assist you.
If you’re in the market for a new thermostat or are curious about what all the fuss is about when it comes to smart thermostats, then this is the guide for you. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about smart thermostats- from how they work and the different types available, to the benefits of owning one and how to install them. Plus, we’ve got a few tips on which HVAC systems are compatible with smart thermostats. So if you’re ready to start saving energy and money, give us a call today!
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