Smart thermostats are digital programmable thermostats with Wi-Fi capabilities. They’re very precise and often provide many additional advanced features. Let’s explore some of the more popular features and how they’re shaping the home HVAC.
Scheduling
Scheduling is a core feature of every programmable and smart thermostat. It’s the reason the Department of Energy recommends these advanced thermostats for every American home. The average household can reduce annual heating and cooling costs by up to 10%. To do that, you need to adjust your temperature setting by at least 7 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours daily. Scheduling makes that simple. Set the thermostat to make that adjustment automatically while sleeping and at work.
Lower heating and cooling costs are just one of the benefits. Your smart thermostat will help your system to cycle less often. That results in less wear and tear and can increase system lifespan and reduce your total cost of ownership. A smart thermostat will also lower your household’s carbon footprint. Project Drawdown estimates that advanced thermostats lower energy consumption by 10 to 15% per home.
Machine Learning
Many smart thermostats feature adaptive learning. They can, for instance, monitor a household’s HVAC habits and adjust or make recommendations based on them. This type of learning is getting even more sophisticated using artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. Needing onboard processing power has limited smart thermostats in the past. Now, many systems upload data to the cloud where advanced AI models can analyze it and make decisions. It’s even led to smart thermostats that can configure themselves. This is particularly important moving forward since many homeowners never program their smart thermostats or update them.
Profiles and Modes
Smart thermostats often allow for multiple schedules and context-based schedules. You could, for instance, have a different schedule for weekends and weekdays. Many systems support seasonal schedules and even unique schedules for individuals in the household. Modes are settings that let you override programming. Two common examples are hold and vacation mode. Hold overrides the current schedule and uses whatever temperature you set instead. Vacation mode puts the system into an energy efficiency mode while you’ll be away for an extended period.
Geofencing
A household may have an unpredictable schedule that you can’t easily program. This is where geofencing can be a big help. Each household member pairs their phone with the thermostat. You also provide the thermostat with a home and away temperature setting. The thermostat creates a virtual boundary around the home. While there is at least one phone inside the perimeter, the thermostat uses the home setting. When there are none, it uses the away setting instead. This eliminates the need to have a schedule, but you can still use them. Schedules can adjust the home and away setting based on the time of day, season, and so forth.
Remote Access and Control
Remote access and control are among the biggest differences smart thermostats can make. Most smart thermostat brands have an app that you can use on your phone. You can monitor your HVAC system, update settings, and even receive notifications and alerts. Users have access to these features while sitting on the couch. These features are also available when you’re many miles away. Forget to put the system in vacation mode? Not a problem. Set it from wherever you are.
Energy Monitoring and Reporting
Many smart thermostats can track the electricity and fuel your HVAC system uses. This is useful for a couple of reasons. Increased energy consumption is often the first sign of an HVAC problem. If usage spikes, you’ll know about it that day rather than in a month. It also lets you know exactly how much energy your HVAC equipment is using weekly, monthly, and annually. You can check that against what’s typical for your region. Some systems even use that data to build reports. Those reports can indicate when and where your household is efficient and when and where it isn’t.
Predictive Performance Analysis
Monitoring energy usage isn’t the only way a smart thermostat can save you money on repairs. Many modern HVAC systems can monitor performance and provide that data to the thermostat. The thermostat can analyze that data and determine whether the system needs diagnostics and maintenance in advance of a serious problem. The industry already uses this technology in large-scale commercial applications. It is now available for residential systems and will become ubiquitous in the years ahead.
Access to Real-Time Data
Smart thermostats often use their Wi-Fi capability to access the internet. This provides real-time data that the thermostat can then use. One example is smart thermostats that are aware of peak energy rates and can put the system into an energy-saving mode. Another example is smart thermostats that can monitor the weather. If a cold front is coming in, the system can preheat the home to be more efficient and ensure consistent comfort.
HVAC Zoning
Zoning is a modern HVAC configuration where we organize a home into separate zones. This lets you adjust the temperature and other settings for each zone independently. This provides better comfort for rooms. You can, for instance, maintain a cooler temperature in bedrooms at night than the rest of the home. This provides tremendous energy-saving benefits, but it isn’t possible without a smart thermostat. That’s because these systems need to adjust things like blower speed and ductwork damper positioning dynamically.
Remote Sensors
Traditionally, thermostat placement has been very important. If a thermostat isn’t in a central location, you’ll get an inaccurate reading. That can lead to system inefficiency. Some modern systems eliminate this limitation by decoupling the main unit and the sensor. This also allows you to have multiple sensors throughout the home and even outdoors. These systems can also have sensors beyond just temperature sensors.
Air Quality and Safety
Other sensors include relative humidity (RH). Many smart thermostats allow for RH adjustment if you have a dehumidifier and/or humidifier. This can make a home more comfortable and improve energy efficiency long term. There are other indoor air quality sensors, including sensors for particulate matter, gases, and chemicals. Many smart thermostats also allow you to integrate your carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke detectors.
Smart Home Integration
Smart thermostats are smart devices in every sense of the term. Wi-Fi does more than allow your thermostat to connect to your local network and the internet. It allows them to communicate with other smart devices. Some households use their smart thermostat as their smart home hub. You can have a dedicated hub and connect your thermostat to it. Your smart thermostat can control smart devices, such as smart shades, blinds, and ceiling fans. Smart devices can also make requests to it. In a home with HVAC zoning, a smart refrigerator, for instance, could request additional cooling in the kitchen.
Would You Like to Install a Smart Thermostat in Dallas?
Home Comfort Inc. is an HVAC company that’s served Dallas, OR and the surrounding areas since 1954. We serve both residential and commercial clients. Our technicians install, configure, calibrate, and service smart thermostats. We install and service furnaces, boilers, air-source and geothermal heat pumps, air conditioners, and ductless mini-splits. Our company offers indoor air quality solutions, high-MERV HVAC filters, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and UV lights as well. Call us today or contact us online to schedule an appointment or with any questions.
