If the temperature in your home runs hot and cold, you may find yourself wondering if someone is playing with your thermostat when you aren’t looking. The truth is that many traditional thermostats cannot maintain an even temperature throughout your home. The good news is there is a solution for that — smart thermostats. New smart thermostats adapt to the conditions in your home and maintain the temperature at a more consistent level.
How Accurate Are Smart Thermostats?
The Nest thermostat and similar smart thermostats are close to 20 percent more accurate than traditional thermostats and keep your home within one degree of the set temperature. That means you will feel more comfortable in your home and won’t need to worry about adjusting the thermostat throughout the day.
How Do Smart Thermostats Work?
Smart thermostats monitor the conditions of you home and adjust accordingly. The Nest monitors the size of your home, the number of drafts, your daily schedule, the type of HVAC system you have and the temperature outside to regulate the temperature inside your home. In fact, it measures the temperature and humidity level in your home throughout the day while gathering information from the weather service via the Internet to make predictions about your heating needs in the future. That means you won’t need to bump up the thermostat to a higher temperature during cold snaps or turn it down when it warms up a few degrees outside because your smart thermostat has already made the necessary adjustments.
How Do Smart Thermostats Save Money?
Because your smart thermostat is able to predict your future needs and will automatically turn the temperature down when you are gone, you avoid wasting energy and the associated costs due to heating your home when it isn’t needed. In addition, the Nest multi-stage system even knows how long it will take to reach the desired temperature level and turns the heat on early to heat the home a little at a time to prepare for your arrival. This gradual increase in temperature saves energy and puts less strain on your furnace than manually cranking up the thermostat when you get home.
Other Advantages of Smart Thermostats
The Nest learning thermostat isn’t limited to maintaining the temperature in your home. It can also be used to turn your water heater on or off or to adjust its temperature to fit your schedule. If you are away for a few days, it will automatically turn off. You can also give it a quick boost by way of a smartphone app when you learn that guests will be arriving soon. The learning thermostat also keeps a record of your energy use and displays it with the touch of a button. This means you can view your family’s habits and make the necessary adjustments to save even more money on energy costs.
If you are tired of high energy costs and roller coaster temperatures in your home, talk to your HVAC contractor about how you can get the best energy savings with a smart thermostat. They can advise you about getting the most out of the thermostat to keep your family comfortable even when the temperatures drop outside.