Do you need a smart thermostat? This is a question I was asking. I had a couple different question inside this one like can a smart thermostat actually save money because they can be expensive. Well, we decided to purchase one and I wanted to talk about it.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience, click here to read my full disclosure policy.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A SMART THERMOSTAT? OR WHAT IS A SMART THERMOSTAT?
First I think we need to talk about the purpose of a smart thermostat.
A smart thermostat is a Wi-Fi enabled device that automatically adjusts a home’s heating and cooling temperature for optimal performance.
Two things I want to address smart and wi-fi, this is what a regular thermostat does NOT have. The reason this thermostat is called “smart” is that it learns from your behaviors so it learns the temperature you like and builds a schedule around you plus it allows you to control the temperature of your home remotely (because of the Wi-Fi).
So if you are wondering why a smart thermostat is so special it’s because it works just the way you want it to! The biggest selling feature for us was the wi-fi feature. Now when we turn down or up the temperature to leave on a trip (it’s called away mode), we can turn it back to our ideal temperature before we get home.
This brings us to the next question.
CAN A SMART THERMOSTAT ACTUALLY SAVE YOU MONEY?
Well, I am going to be honest, I believe that you can save money with any thermostat but a smart thermostat makes it EASY!
Like the away mode for example.
We decided to purchase a Nest thermostat, which is Energy Star certified, and has a Leaf to let you know when you are at an Eco temperature. Which helps you save money easily.
DO YOU NEED A SMART THERMOSTAT?
Honestly, no BUT they are very nice. I personally recommend having one if you have the money because the features are wonderful. Also, keep an eye out because your local energy company (power or gas) could have a rebate! We purchased ours during one of these times and got $100 OFF.
TIP: Home Depot does a great job of letting you know when a rebate is going on!
Now there are a lot of choices on different thermostats but the two I was looking at was the NEST thermostat and ECOBEE thermostat.
We decided on the Nest and the install process could not have been any easier plus the setup was a breeze.
We have had ours installed since installing a new HVAC (furnace and AC) and I would have a hard time switching back to our old programmable thermostat (I like it that much!). And I wish I could say that we save “x” amount every month but because we have a whole new system, I think they have something to do with our savings as well.
