For the last few years, smart technology has helped us do everything from track our personal workouts to vacuum our living rooms without a lot of effort. With all this potential, it is a no-brainer for smart technology to help us make our home comfort systems more efficient. If you’re in the market for a way to decrease your energy bills and have more control over your comfort at home, smart thermostats are the perfect place to start.
Smart thermostats work much like a programmable thermostat. Standard programmable models allow you to change temperatures to use less energy when you aren’t at home. Most of these thermostats let you set schedules for every day during the week, divide it between weekday and weekend programming or make everyday the same. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save up to 10 percent on your annual heating and cooling bill by installing a programmable thermostat.
Smart thermostats provide you even more control over your heating and cooling system. Using your smart phone and a compatible app, you can change your home’s temperature wirelessly, no matter where you are located. That means you can adjust it if anything unforeseen happens—whether you’re gone longer than you thought or the weather suddenly changes. That control, plus the energy usage reports your smart model makes, can help you make your home even more energy efficient.
Some smart thermostats models have even more benefits. Depending on what you desire your thermostat to be able to do, there are a few options:
- Should it maintain the temperature in your home as close as possible to your desired setting? iComfort® systems keep the temperature in your house within a half degree of what you set the thermostat to.
- Should it detect your location to instinctively adjust temperatures when you’re away? iComfort’s Smart Away™ mode distinguishes your location using your phone and adjusts the temperature when you leave. When you’re on your way home, the system changes again to make sure you’re comfortable when you arrive.
- Should your device take the weather conditions into consideration? The iComfort Feels Like™ feature takes weather conditions like temperature and humidity into account while altering the comfort level in your home. That way, 72 degrees always feels like 72 degrees—no matter what the weather throws at you.
- Should it be compatible with your other smart devices? Some smart thermostats work with Amazon Alexa and Apple Homekit. With voice commands, you can adjust your settings without getting up.
Ready to find a smart thermostat model that matches your home and lifestyle? The pros at B & G HVAC can help you get on the right path to home comfort. Contact us at 641-316-3360 to an appointment with us. We can answer any questions you have and share the options for your home comfort system.