Smart Thermostats: How They Work and the Benefits They Offer

Your thermostat is an essential device that controls your home air-conditioning and heating system(s). It communicates with your heating and cooling system and tells it when to turn on or off. However, if you have non-programmable digital thermostat, you may be missing out on the important benefits of a “smart thermostat”.

How Does a Smart Thermostat Work?

A “smart thermostat” works through either typical low voltage circuits between the equipment components or through communication cables in higher end systems. The technology allows you to interface with your mobile phone, your computer, or the thermostat itself. Therefore, you can adjust the temperature, schedule, and settings of your smart thermostat from anywhere.

Some smart thermostats can also learn from your habits and preferences, and adjust the temperature automatically based on your daily routine, weather conditions, and occupancy. For example, a smart thermostat can sense when you are away from home, and lower or raise the temperature to save energy. It can also detect when you are approaching your house and restore the temperature to your desired level.

Some smart thermostats can also be integrated with other smart devices in your home, such as smart speakers, cameras, lights, and security systems.

What Are the Benefits of A Smart Thermostat?

A “smart thermostat” offers multiple benefits. Here are some of the advantages of having the device.

Comfort

A “smart thermostat” can help keep your home at the optimal temperature and adjust for humidity giving you a higher level of comfort. You can easily adjust the temperature from your phone or tablet, or let the smart thermostat do it for you based on your schedule and preferences. You can also monitor the temperature and humidity levels in your home and get alerts if they are too high or low. Also, they can usually operate with remote sensors that can be placed in certain areas that are a bit troublesome when it comes to temperature imbalances. While this isn’t as effective as a damper system, it is far less expensive and does create “temperature averaging”.

Energy Efficiency

A “smart thermostat” can help you save money on your heating and cooling bills by reducing energy waste. This intuitive device can avoid running your heating and cooling system when it is not needed, such as when you are at work during the day.

You may want to note that according to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save up to 10 percent on your cooling and heating costs by turning your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for about eight hours each day. This is easily achieved with a “smart thermostat”.

A smart thermostat can also help you protect your home and your heating and cooling system from potential problems through certain “alert” capabilities, or will let you know if it’s time for routine maintenance and filter changes.

Older non-programmable digital thermostats simply don’t have the built-in capabilities to offer many of the advanced features of a “smart thermostat”. If your outdated thermostat has started to develop issues, such as unresponsiveness, inaccuracy, or frequent cycling, it may already need to be replaced. If you think any of the benefits of a “smart thermostat” are a what you need, let us know, and we can help with the best solution for your home (or business).

Contact Environmental Air Systems, Inc. where we can help you choose the best option. We will install your smart thermostat professionally and safely, ensuring that your air-conditioning and heating systems are operating as efficiently as possible.