Did you know that there is an HVAC thermostat that can learn what you want it to do to keep your Clearwater, FL, home comfortable? We’ll tell you all about smart thermostats and how they can save you money on your energy bills.
What Types of Thermostats Are Available?
There are three types of thermostats on the market today. They are as follows:
- Analog thermostat
- Programmable thermostat
- Smart thermostat
An analog thermostat is an old-fashioned kind that requires the user to adjust the temperature manually. It is the least expensive type of thermostat of the three to purchase, but it is the most inefficient one to use. An analog thermostat suits people who don’t want to spend much money on the device and those who don’t mind frequently getting up and walking over to a thermostat to change the temperature.
A programmable thermostat allows the user to program it to adjust the temperature at particular times of the day or night. Common times that people like to conserve HVAC system energy use are when they are at work, on an outing, or asleep. You can program this thermostat to adjust the temperature for all your normally scheduled activities.
Programmable thermostats have Wi-Fi capabilities for manual control remotely, but they don’t automatically adjust for ambient humidity or heat caused by an oven. If programmed, this type of thermostat can save energy use almost as well as a smart thermostat does.
A smart thermostat “learns” what temperature the user likes at certain times of the day. Then it adjusts the temperature automatically according to what it has learned.
A smart thermostat is the only thermostat type that adjusts for ambient humidity and temperature spikes caused by things such as oven heat. It is also the only option that informs the user about the HVAC system’s energy consumption.
How Does a Smart Thermostat Work?
When a smart thermostat is new, you must set its temperature manually for a while to give it time to learn what temperatures to change it to at what times of the day and night. Its Wi-Fi capability enables you to adjust the temperature using your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
You can turn the temperature down before you get up in the morning and raise it again just before you go to work. Before you leave the office at the end of the day, you can instruct your thermostat to cool your home before you return.
The thermostat records the temperatures that you set it to and the times that you adjusted it. Using its machine learning technology, it will automatically adjust the temperature for you according to the changes you habitually make.
How Does a Smart Thermostat Conserve Energy?
Some smart thermostats automatically adjust for ambient humidity and spikes in temperature, which takes a little more energy. But basically, a smart thermostat instructs your HVAC system to run only at the times and temperatures you need it to, and that conserves energy. No wasted energy means that you won’t spend more money than what’s needed to keep your home cool this summer.
A smart thermostat does not have a particularly big cost savings advantage over a well-controlled programmable thermostat, though. That’s because you can manually (or remotely) adjust this type of thermostat to raise and lower your home’s temperature at particular times.
One cost-related advantage that a smart thermostat does have, however, is real-time energy consumption and cost information. With that information, you can alter your energy usage as needed to remain within your budget. A smart thermostat can also advise you how to heat or cool your home most efficiently.
If you’re tired of high energy bills during the summer, you may want to consider getting a smart thermostat. Contact Pinellas Comfort Systems today to schedule a smart thermostat installation.
Image provided by iStock