What is a Smart Thermostat and Will it Save Money?

If you’re tired of paying higher and higher heating and cooling costs every month, you’re probably wondering what you can do about it. Instead of piling on the blankets or wearing layers of sweaters, you could invest in a smart thermostat. These intelligent devices are compatible with most heating and air conditioning systems manufactured in the past five years. If you’ve recently upgraded your heating and cooling system or plan to do so soon, it’s important to know what a smart thermostat is and how it can help you lower your Franklin, IN, home’s heating and air conditioning costs.

What Is a Smart Thermostat?

A smart thermostat is a type of programmable device that connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network. Once you have it connected to your Wi-Fi, it’s able to communicate with your smart home control system and your smartphone. Smart thermostat manufacturers each have their own app that you can download to your phone or tablet and use to control the thermostat. The smart thermostat also communicates with your home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system both through a hardwired connection and with the Wi-Fi network.

How a Smart Thermostat Works

Smart thermostats use algorithms to carefully time heating and cooling cycles. They do this through two key methods. The first is with the schedule you program into its interface. The scheduling functions are similar to a standard programmable thermostat. You set the temperature for each period of the day. Most have options for morning, daytime, evening and overnight time periods. There are also options to set different temperatures for different days of the week. If your schedule Monday through Friday is different from your weekend schedule, you can enter this into the thermostat.

The second method used by the smart thermostat is geofencing. It communicates with your phone, using GPS information to determine where you are. If your phone is several miles away from home, such as if you have to work later than usual, the thermostat adjusts the timing of the heating or cooling cycles to account for your location. It won’t adjust the temperature until the geofencing application recognizes that you’re within a 1- to a 2-mile range of your house. Through your Wi-Fi connection, the thermostat automatically downloads software and algorithm updates to provide you with the most up-to-date functionality.

How to Use a Smart Thermostat

To use a smart thermostat, program your preferred temperatures for each time of the day and day of the week. Download the app to your smartphone, tablet or other device that you take with you when you leave home. If you’ll be running late, you can use the app to adjust your home’s temperature. If your smart thermostat has the geofencing feature, it will automatically do this for you.

Convenient Features of Smart Thermostats

Many smart thermostats have learning functions. With sensors in your home, they learn your typical pattern of activity. They can determine if you usually sleep in on the weekends, and they’ll adjust the timing of heating and cooling cycles in order to reduce energy consumption. They also learn from your interactions with the thermostat. If you tend to lower the thermostat on summer evenings or raise it on winter mornings, it will learn this and make the adjustments for you. If you forget to update the thermostat when you’re on vacation, the app allows you to do so with vacation and away settings.

Ways a Smart Thermostat Saves Money

Smart thermostats keep your home warmer for as long as possible in the summer and cooler for as long as possible in the winter. By triggering fewer cooling or heating cycles, they reduce your home’s energy use. They also carefully time the heating and cooling cycles to coincide with your schedule. By matching the times you’re at home, the thermostat minimizes the energy used to heat or cool an empty house. You won’t have to make manual adjustments or worry about forgetting to raise or lower the thermostat.

At Dugan Heating Cooling, we’re the trusted team to install, maintain and repair smart thermostats. You can also turn to us for heating and air conditioning maintenance plans, repairs, replacements and installations. Our heat pumps and ductless air conditioning and heat pump systems are designed to improve your comfort and lower your expenses. To learn more about smart thermostats and how they’ll benefit your Franklin home, get in touch with us at Dugan Heating Cooling today.