Smart thermostats are great at automatically regulating the temperature in your home, saving on energy bills, and ensuring you’re comfortable no matter the conditions outside. I personally love the idea of that convenience.
But there are drawbacks. They don’t work well with every heating and cooling system and are more expensive to install than a standard programmable thermostat.
If you’re considering installing one, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons when deciding whether a smart thermostat is worth it to you. Home Gnome can connect you with a local HVAC technician to help you decide.
What Is a Smart Thermostat?
A smart thermostat is a Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat that can be scheduled to automatically carry out certain temperature settings at certain times. If also a learning thermostat, it will get to know your desired temperatures over time, adapting to provide the most comfortable heating and cooling for your specific environment. Some even have temperature sensors you can purchase to control the climate of individual rooms.
Boasting compatibility with smart home devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, as well as remote control functionality via a tablet or smartphone app, these gadgets also help homeowners use less energy and save on electricity bills.
Pros of Smart Thermostats
Lower Energy Costs
By hooking your HVAC system up to an Energy Star-certified smart thermostat (like Ecobee and Nest thermostats), you can expect to save around 8% (or $50) annually on energy bills. Your energy savings may be slightly higher or lower based on the following:
- Where you live
- Your home’s occupancy
- Your thermostat settings
- Thermostat brand
- Overall efficiency of your cooling system and heating system
“Smart thermostats know better when to lower or raise the temperature, saving you from the hassle of always remembering to adjust it, says Sergey Nikolin, president of Product Air Heating and Cooling in Snohomish, Wash. “As a result, you avoid heating or cooling your home when it’s not needed and lower your energy bills.”
Smart thermostats work to decrease energy consumption through automation and algorithms that learn to anticipate when you’ll be home or when you’ll be away. With geofencing, your smartphone app can communicate your impending return to your thermostat, causing the appropriate temperature controls to kick in before you arrive.
“Smart thermostats are perfect for people with irregular schedules,” Nikolin says.
My Tip: You may qualify for a rebate when you upgrade to a smart thermostat. Check with your local energy company to see which ones are available to you.
Alert You to Maintenance Tasks
Further supporting less energy use, smart thermostats can notify you of necessary maintenance tasks like when it’s time to change your air filters and when it’s time to schedule your annual preventative maintenance visit.
Switching out dirty air filters and sticking to a regular maintenance schedule ensures maximum energy efficiency by keeping your air conditioner and heating system from overworking itself. Clean air filters allow for adequate airflow, and routine maintenance helps prevent breakdowns, excess repairs, and, overall, extends the life of your HVAC unit.
Learn more about HVAC maintenance with our guide: How to Maintain Your HVAC System.
Can be Controlled Remotely
Let’s say your household goes on vacation — or even just out for the day or night — and you forgot to manually adjust your home’s temperature before leaving. All you have to do is connect to some Wi-Fi, log in to your smart thermostat app, and set your home’s heating or air conditioning where you’d like it to be.
But you don’t have to be away from home to use the remote control functionality; simply break out your smartphone app to control the temp in an individual room without having to leave said room. Sometimes, HVAC systems produce uneven heating and cooling, so if you spend a lot of your time in a hot or cold spot, this is a quick, easy way to raise or lower the settings.
Easy to Use
Smart thermostats (and their accompanying apps) are user-friendly, as many consist of familiar touchscreen functionalities. What’s more, if you opt for a learning thermostat, you won’t have to worry about programming anything, as your thermostat will learn your movements over time and program itself.
Some reviewers say smart thermostats may be difficult for people who aren’t tech-savvy, while others disagree. Basically, though, if you can operate a smartphone or a tablet, you can use a smart thermostat and its app with no problem.
As for the wall units, the touch screens typically have a simple aesthetic, large print, and are well-lit to make reading them a breeze. Others may operate without a touch screen, choosing a movable dial, instead.
Read More: Learn the 7 Signs Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning.
Cons of Smart Thermostats
Don’t Work with All Types of Heating and Cooling Systems
Let’s say your home runs on radiant heating or has window units, rather than a centralized system. A smart thermostat isn’t going to help. Thermostats work by sensing the temperature of the surrounding air, and radiant heat uses infrared waves to heat objects, rather than the air. Plus, window units have their own built-in thermostats.
May Require Professional Installation
Now, there are several smart thermostats on the market today that homeowners consider to have an easy DIY installation process, complete with step-by-step directions via the accompanying app or brand’s YouTube video.
However, if you want absolutely nothing to do with wiring of any kind, your best bet is to enlist the help of an HVAC pro. They can tell you if your new smart system is compatible with your current HVAC or if you’ll need a C-wire (common wire) or C-wire adapter to make everything work. However, some smart thermostats were created to be powered without the need for either one.
Did you recently purchase a smart thermostat? Home Gnome can connect you with a local HVAC technician to make installation quick and hassle-free.
Higher Upfront Costs
While you can get a new manual thermostat for as low as $40 or a new programmable one for as low as $60, a new smart thermostat can run you, on average, between $140 and $310 — throw in a little extra ($150 to $500) if you add on professional installation. That being said, the energy savings you accumulate may offset those initial costs over time.
“I think they’re worth the extra cost if you appreciate the convenience and the reduced need for manual adjustments,” Nikolin shares. “And I have to admit that energy savings are more noticeable with a smart thermostat, as there’s nobody who always forgets to get it lower when going to bed or leaving home.”
Smart Home Devices Can Potentially Be Hacked
As with any smart home device — from your TV to your baby monitor to your refrigerator — there’s a security risk involved. In addition to collecting and tracking information about your home environment to aid in reducing energy bills, these gadgets also collect the following data:
- Name
- Phone number
- Zip code
- When you’re home/away/sleep
Smart thermostat brands do have protections in place (think encryption, passwords, etc.) to safeguard your information and work quickly if a breach does occur, but still, there’s always a risk something could be compromised.
Did You Know? Smart thermostats can help improve the safety and security of your home if integrated with your alarm system. For example, if your security system detects carbon monoxide or fire, it can signal the HVAC to shut down.
Find an HVAC Technician Near You
While it’s possible to install your own smart thermostat — if you’re comfortable working with wiring, that is — it may be best to hire an HVAC technician near you for help. This can ensure you don’t accidentally injure yourself or mess up your HVAC with the wrong system.
Besides installing your new device, these experts can help you choose the system most compatible with your HVAC, determine what features you need and don’t need, suggest the ideal placement of your new thermostat, and show you exactly how to use it.
Home Gnome delivers the best home service experience at the click of a button. Book reliable, skilled handymen and handywomen in seconds and leave the rest to us.
Main Image Credit: cunaplus / Adobe Stock Free / License
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