Why Smart Thermostats Should Be Part of Your Smart Home

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Smart thermostats are like a traditional thermostat, only a lot better.

They can be controlled anywhere in the world and will save you more money than any other smart home device.

And this is the reason a smart thermostat should be in your life. In the first two years, the device will pay for itself, leaving you with pure savings from there on out.

What To Look For When Buying A Smart Thermostat

Before getting into which thermostat brands are the best, you first need to understand what to look for before buying one.

Smart thermostats come with a whole range of features; the thing is, some of them might not be right for you.

Let’s take a look at some of the features that make smart thermostats so desirable:

C-Wire

You should always check out whether the thermostat requires a C-wire or not. This can be a huge deciding factor.

Smart thermostats use more power than batteries can supply, which means they need to draw power from the HVAC system.

This is where the C-wire comes into play. It helps draw some extra power.

Don’t worry if you don’t have one connected; some smart thermostats don’t need them.

Geofencing

Geofencing lets you set a virtual perimeter around your home. When you pass this perimeter with your mobile phone, it will make changes to the thermostat.

Let’s say you pop on over to your local shop; when you pass the virtual perimeter, the thermostat will turn itself off to conserve energy.

When you come back from the shop, the thermostat will recognize you’re coming back home and turn the thermostat on, ready for your arrival.

Learning Abilities

This is an excellent feature for smart thermostats because it takes the responsibility away from you. Some smart thermostats can learn how you like the house to be heated or cooled and make changes for you.

Smart Sensors

Smart sensors are used to keep track of the temperature in different rooms throughout the house. This helps you elevate the problem with hot or cold spots in your house.

The best setup is to have sensors in each room, but this isn’t always possible. So, your next option is to have a sensor in the most commonly used rooms.

ENERGY STAR Certified

The key benefit of smart thermostats is the energy they can save. And no intelligent thermostat can save more money than an ENERGY STAR certified thermostat.

Voice Assistants

Not every smart thermostat can combine with voice assistants, which means it’s something you have to think about.

Make sure the thermostat you choose works with your voice assistant before you purchase one.

Smart Thermostat Top Brands

Now you understand what to look for, it’s time to talk you through some of the best thermostats on the market.

Each one has terrific energy-saving abilities with easy-to-use controls. Check them out to see which one you think should wear the crown:

Nest

Nest thermostats are considered one of the most intelligent on the market, which is due to their learning abilities.

The Nest thermostat knows how you like your home’s temperature based on previous changes. This means you very rarely have to make adjustments to the system.

The thermostats can run without using a C-wire, although the manufacturer suggests using it to protect the system.

All of their thermostats come with a stylish-looking circular design, which looks modern and durable. They’re also available in plenty of colors, making it easier to match them to your home.

Ecobee

Ecobee is an intelligent smart thermostat company with plenty of products in its range. One of the most desirable features is being able to add up to 32 room sensors.

This allows it to find cold spots in your home and make the adjustments needed. But more importantly, it helps the thermostats make changes in the most eco-friendly fashion.

Another great thing about the sensors is they double as motion sensors. This means the thermostat will only make changes to rooms that are being occupied. Not bad, right?

But, the best thing about Ecobee is its compatibility with third-party products, especially voice assistants. Ecobee connects with Alexa, Google Home, and Siri, giving you more options than most thermostats.

Honeywell

Honeywell thermostats have been around for quite some time, so it’s no surprise they started producing smart thermostats.

The thermostats are known for having large touchscreen displays with easy-to-read information. You can schedule them with a 7-day program, or control them as you please using the mobile app.

Honeywell thermostats may not have the stylish looks that come with Ecobee or Nest, but they still have energy-saving abilities.

One of the most significant benefits is the five-year limited warranty, which is bigger than any other smart thermostat on the market.

Cielo

Cielo thermostats are focused more on A/C units than anything else. They allow you to turn any dumb air-conditioning unit into an intelligent cooling system.

Cielo connects to your A/C units and acts as a bridge between the air conditioning unit and your wi-fi network.

You can schedule the device or control it as and when you need it, but the important thing is it does save you money.

Round-Up

If your energy bill is looking a little higher than you can afford, a smart thermostat might be the option for you.

You see, no other smart device can save you as much money.

With smart thermostats, two brands outperform the rest: Ecobee and Nest.

If you want to understand more about the thermostats, check out the review over at Automated Outlet. They put the two thermostats head-to-head to see how they perform against each other.

Which one will you be going for?