A smart thermostat isn’t just convenient, it can save energy – and saving energy equates to saving money. It also offers the potential for some cool integration. If you upgrade from a basic thermostat to a smart thermostat, the first and most life-changing difference will be the ability to control it remotely. Today’s thermostats can be remotely accessed from your phone, tablet, and even your voice. The era of getting up in the middle of the night to turn up the AC is long gone. No more dashing back into the house to lower the heat before you go on errands (or a vacation). No more coming home to a sweltering apartment and waiting for it to cool down. Nowadays, all you have to do is just fire up the AC when you’re 10 minutes away. Even better, have your thermostat turn itself on in anticipation of your arrival.
Technically, thermostats have been “smart” since the first time a manufacturer realized that such devices could be more than a mercury thermometer and a metal dial. For years, the Home Depots of the world were full of plastic rectangles that owed a lot to the digital clock. They’d let you dial in ideal heating and cooling temperatures and maybe even set different temperatures for certain times of the day and particular days of the week. We’ve come a long way with technology since then, and it is ever so evident in the realm of thermostats. Take for example, the thermostats listed below. These are the top of the line, best features available; your home isn’t complete until you have one of these types of thermostats. We’ve been lucky enough to test them and provide you with our honest review.
Nest – This thermostat is an electronic, programmable, and self-learning Wi-Fi enabled thermostat that optimizes the heating and cooling of homes and businesses in order to conserve energy. It is based on a machine learning algorithm. For the first week the owner has to regulate the thermostat in order to provide the reference data set. Nest can then learn the owner’s schedule, and at which temperature they are used to and when. Using built in sensors and phone geo-locations, it can shift into energy saving mode when it realizes no one is home.
Honeywell Wi-Fi Touchscreen – Want to be able to adjust and control your thermostat from anywhere? This thermostat allows you to enjoy unsurpassed comfort control and receive alerts of extreme home temps. In fact, it will even remind you to change your AC filter. Additionally, there are no monthly service fees, and it can be controlled from an IPhone, IPad, Android or PC. It offers fully flexible programming options and can provide you with the local weather and a 5-day forecast. It can determine what your home needs for maximum comfort, and auto change to and from cool settings.
American Standard Multi Stage Thermostat 7 Day Programmable Touchscreen Thermostat- First, it has a bright backlit display with an interactive touchscreen. Second, it has many programming options. It has a filter clean/replacement program that is stored in permanent memory. You can also do a manual or auto changeover, with a minimum compressor runtime for 3-10 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, you can set minimum and maximum heating and cooling ranges. It even features a daylight savings time key.
Emerson’s Sensi – This Wi-Fi thermostat has fewer features than its counterparts, and it has a less capable app. than the competition, but it can run on AA batteries, if your house isn’t wired to support a thermostat.
If you’re considering the benefits of a smart thermostat, read some reviews online to see what fits you better, or give us a call if you want to talk to a real person that will hear your needs and advise you on the right thermostat.
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