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Smart home thermostats are one of the best improvements you can make to your home. Being able to set the temperature on your smartphone from the comfort of your couch instead of having to get up and manually raise or lower the thermostat just makes life easier and your home a little more comfortable. Learning about smart thermostats is even more exciting because they can adapt to your usage preferences over time and automatically adjust the temperature as needed so your home is always perfect. But many of these $200 gadgets can do much more than just let you adjust heat or cold.
Whether you’re considering purchasing one of the leading smart thermostats or have already owned one for years, it’s absolutely worth taking the time to check out the cool features they offer. Yes, it’s cool (literally) to have a device that can automatically regulate the temperature in your home, but these thermostats are designed to help you optimize them in dozens of different ways for your unique needs, and even save a few dollars on your monthly electric bill. So let’s take a look at these lesser-known features of smart thermostats that you probably didn’t know about and see how they can benefit your home (and your wallet).
Save money every time you leave your house
If you’re wondering what a smart thermostat actually saves you money on, the answer depends on how you use it, but automating temperature settings is a key factor in the savings the gadget can achieve. For example, a smart thermostat can be set to detect when you leave or return home, then adjust your temperature setting accordingly. With this, your system switches to a less demanding, more energy-efficient temperature when you’re not around, so it doesn’t heat or cool the house for nothing.
But how does this feature work? Many smart thermostats use a combination of smartphone GPS tracking and built-in sensors that detect nearby movement to determine whether you’re home or not. If you are away from home every weekday for work or go out every Saturday morning for your child’s soccer game, the thermostat notices your absence and automatically adjusts the temperature in your home during those times.
One of the best use cases for this handy feature is when you’re going on vacation. Like every time you leave the house, when your smart thermostat detects that you are away, it maintains the temperature more conservatively. This adjustment still prevents your home from getting too hot or too cold, but saves you a few dollars on your monthly bill.
Adjust temperatures for one or more specific rooms
It’s perfectly fine to just set up your smart thermostat and use it as is. It will operate based on the ambient temperature wherever it is mounted via its internal sensor. However, if you need a slightly more precise temperature for certain rooms or floors in your home, some smart thermostats are compatible with remote room sensors, and the combination can help you achieve your goal.
Remote sensors allow you to tell your system to run until a desired temperature is reached in that particular zone, giving you an extra layer of comfort and control. They’re also a great addition to have for home offices, your baby’s room, or if you have items in a particular room that benefit from being kept within a certain temperature range. And, of course, if you have a large home with multiple floors or just a quirky layout with constantly uneven temperatures, these wireless room sensors can be a lifesaver. Note, however, that the rest of your home may end up being hotter or colder than the temperature you have set for a specific sensor.
As a caveat, these sensors typically only work with the same brand of thermostat, and not all companies that make smart thermostats make sensor accessories. While there are a limited variety of third-party sensors, like the Aqara Zigbee, they may not be worth it. To connect them to your smart thermostat, you’ll probably need to connect them to another hub first. Not all third-party sensors work with major smart thermostats either, so if you want a room sensor, you’re better off looking for a thermostat that comes with one.
Notify you when it’s time to change the air filter
Life always finds a way to keep you busy. Between work, kids, cooking, and cleaning your house, it’s easy for small tasks on the list, like changing your air filter, to slip through the cracks. However, a smart thermostat can send you regular reminders to notify you whenever it’s time to replace a fresh air filter. Keeping up with this chore ensures that your HVAC system continues to operate effectively and efficiently. This is a small but extremely handy feature, and the benefits of reminder don’t stop there.
Smart thermostats are directly connected to your HVAC system, and some brands are even able to send you an alert if there are noticeable issues, like a problem with airflow in your ducts. Having a warning like this for something this important gives you the opportunity to be proactive. From there, you can decide whether you want to look at things yourself or go straight to a licensed HVAC professional for a tune-up or repair before the problem snowballs.
Earn bribes by adjusting your usage during peak hours
Chances are you’ve heard the term “rush hour.” This means exactly what it sounds like: hours when local power grids experience a sharp increase in energy consumption. This is most often on weekday evenings, after everyone is home for the day and using electricity. Electricity companies generally charge higher fees during this time due to the added strain on their network, and if you use a lot of electricity during peak times, your monthly electricity bill can become quite hefty. Smart thermostats are a great way to save money on your energy bills, and the savings go beyond just overall energy consumption.
To help mitigate these intense usage spikes, local power companies often offer some sort of peak savings program to people who have and sign up for a smart thermostat. Generally speaking, once enrolled, your smart thermostat will automatically reduce your HVAC usage during peak hours. This means your home will be slightly less warm in winter and slightly less cool in summer. Your home then ends up using less energy, which reduces the stress load on the entire electrical grid. In return, electricity companies save you some money on your bill. Some even offer deep discounts on smart thermostats or give them away for free to encourage people to help reduce peak usage demands.
Smart thermostats offer a ton of great features, and there are plenty of ways to get the most out of them. From discounts on your monthly electric bill to helping keep your entire home perfectly comfortable, this is an upgrade that’s hard to argue with. What do you mean, is that smart?
