SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — Maybe you’ve seen one at a friend’s house or read a headline as you’re clicking through the news. Smart thermostats. They are becoming more and more popular as companies add new features to compete for the attention of homeowners.
“There are a lot of different smart thermostat options right now,” says Gabriel Carini, who has more than a decade of experience in heating and cooling. “Some people are skeptical about whether a fancy thermostat actually saves money or not. The truth is that yes, they can save money, time and energy by using one.”
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program determined that homeowners correctly using programmable or smart thermostats to control their air conditioner and heater save up to $180 every year on heating and cooling costs.
Any thermostat is a way to let you automatically regulate the temperature of your home. The basic programmable thermostat, which has become increasing common in homes in San Diego, adds the benefits of letting you set the temperature and have the thermostat change it based on the time of day. A smart thermostat offers programmable features, but it offers much, much more than that as well.
The latest smart thermostats also allow you to create multiple schedules, control the climate in your home remotely with a smartphone of computer, view your energy consumption in real-time, remind you to change the air filter, and even be set up to adjust themselves based on ambient conditions like humidity.
“What makes smart thermostats so effective and convenient is that they learn from your behaviors and as patterns emerge,” says Carini. “Say you bump the air conditioning down to 74 degrees around five in the evening on Tuesdays but on Thursdays you don’t change the temperature until seven. The thermostat is learning the pattern and will learn to do that automatically.”
There are many popular smart thermostats on the market right now, including the Nest Learning Thermostat and Venstar’s models. (https://www.venstar.com/Thermostats/) (https://nest.com) However, the most popular smart thermostat brand we install for Carini Heating, Air and Plumbing customers is Honeywell. (https://yourhome.honeywell.com/home/Products/Thermostats/) Their company offers a Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat that quickly learns your energy usage habits and adjusts accordingly. One of their latest thermostat designs also boasts voice activated recognition and control.
“What our customers often tell us is that the biggest benefit of a smart thermostat is that it gives them one less thing to worry about,” says Carini. “Their smart thermostats take the hassle out of saving money and monitoring their indoor comfort system.”
If you would like to have a smart thermostat installed in your home or need information about a whole home air conditioning installation in San Diego, call our office to schedule an appointment with one of our professional heating and air conditioning technicians.