In post after post, some of the best advice for lowering your heating bill and increasing your energy efficiency is changing your filters often and lowering the heat (and AC in the summer) when you aren’t home.
Programmable thermostats make the second part a little easier as you can easily change the temperature in your home. Some thermostats even allow you to set timers for easy heating and cooling in your home.
However, in the age of technology, why not take it a step further and install a Smart Thermostat in your home for more options and bigger savings?
SMART THERMOSTATS
Smart Thermostats like the Google Nest (retail $250) or the Honeywell Lyric (retail $150-$200) can be game changers in any home. The easy to use interface on Smart Thermostats ensure that you always know exactly what temperature your home is set to. Beyond that, there are a number of other features that Smart Thermostats share such as:
- Companion apps
- Location tracking
- Energy Reporting
CONTROL FROM ANYWHERE
Most Smart Thermostats offer a companion app that you download on your phone or tablet to monitor your home’s comfort levels without having to be at home. With the app, you can raise or lower the temperature in your home to conserve energy or make the home comfortable for you to arrive home. Some Smart Thermostats build this function into the app, so you don’t have to think about it.
COMING AND GOING
The feature that truly makes a Smart Thermostat “smart” is this one nearly universal trait among all Smart Thermostats: the ability to track your location.
For the Google Nest and Honeywell Lyric, this means using your phone’s geolocation to know when you have left the house. After you’ve left, the thermostat will lower the temperature in the house to conserve energy.
Both products will then warm the house back up when your phone comes back into range. This ensures that your home is always comfortable.
The main difference between the Nest and the Lyric though, is the Nest claims to learn your schedule after a few days or weeks to automatically make these adjustments. However, the Lyric allows you to customize how far from home you must be before the thermostat lowers the temperature.
ENERGY REPORTS
Some Smart Thermostats like the Google Nest will send you energy usage reports and alerts to help guide you towards becoming more energy conscious. You can access your energy reports with the Nest app on your phone or tablet. Lyric does not offer an option to receive energy usage reports or alerts although you can see your energy usage with the app.
INSTALL YOUR SMART THERMOSTAT TODAY
If you think a Smart Thermostat could make your home more energy efficient, consider installing one today. Keeping your home energy efficient requires more than just a Smart Thermostat, you should also receive regular tune-ups on your HVAC system and replace the filters frequently.
To schedule service or repair on your HVAC, call First Class HVAC today at 302-281-2014. Our fast, friendly, and professional service will impress even your Smart Home.