We’re living in an era when convenience is at the top of our list of necessities. This makes it obvious why smart gadgets have been integrated into every other house. Smart thermostats are one of the most popular smart gadgets that have been installed in homes today.
This smart device allows homeowners to control and manage their HVAC systems through a smartphone, smart speaker, or a smart screen. You can control it remotely as well from your smartphone.
Heck, some of the smart thermostats out there can adjust the temperature of your home automatically solely based on algorithm-based learning. In addition, smart thermostats also offer more information on how to be energy-efficient through their tracking and analyzing features.
In fact, modern smart thermostats offer a user more features as compared to their previous counterparts. This only makes you think of more things when wanting to set up a smart thermostat. Hence, before you go ahead and start your smart thermostat installation process, it’s important that you understand the tech in it.
Here are some things you ought to know before switching to a smart thermostat.
Smart Thermostats Will Save You Money in the Long Run
We can all agree that smart thermostats are one of the most convenient smart devices in the market. That said, their biggest advantage is their ability to be energy-efficient. In other words, it knows how to conserve energy.
Smart thermostats save you money on energy bills in two ways: first giving you the ability to control and manage the temperature remotely, second having the function to learn your heating and cooling habits to adjust your home temperature accordingly.
These capabilities make sure that your HVAC system does not run unnecessarily when not in use. You won’t see these savings overnight, but stay patient as it will happen sooner or later.
You Need to Have a Stable Wi-Fi Connection
When it comes to smart home devices, it’s necessary to have a stable Wi-Fi network connection. This allows you to take full advantage of the benefits offered in a smart thermostat because only Wi-Fi can connect your smartphone to your smart home devices.
For instance, to access smart thermostat skills such as managing the temperature, you can only do so if you have a Wi-Fi network in your home.
For Smartphone Control, a Mobile App is Necessary
Installing a smart thermostat is not the only part of the process. You need to install the new smart thermostat onto your smartphone as well. Every smart thermostat has a free mobile app from the manufacturer that provides remote access.
Does this sound complicated? Well, on the contrary, it’s rather simple. If you follow all the instructions given by the manufacturer, installing and connecting the app to your mobile device will be painless.
That said, your mobile device has to be compatible with the smart thermostat. The fact that you can control your smart thermostat through your smartphone is one of its best features. You can keep an eye on your home when away, or simply turn on/off your HVAC system when you’re elsewhere.
Be Mindful of Your Existing Smart Home System When Buying a New Smart Thermostat
Today’s modern smart thermostats are excellent at automating and monitoring your home’s temperature setting. In addition, smart thermostats are usually more integrated with the home. Most smart thermostats are compatible with the major smart-home voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, or Microsoft Cortana.
When shopping for a smart thermostat, it’s important to ensure that the one you’re considering purchasing, is comparable with the existing smart-homes system that’s being used in your household.
However, if you don’t have a smart-home system, it’s always good to get some research done and also ensure that the thermostat you’re buying is compatible with your preferred system. This way you’ll have no compatibility issue in the future if you plan on adding more smart home devices.
Fortunately, most smart thermostats have no issues connecting to more than one type of system.
Consider an Electrician to Install Your New Smart Thermostat
Unlike previous thermostats, smart thermostats usually need a C-wire to be installed. This wire provides 24 volts of electricity to the smart thermostat’s power features like Wi-Fi communication. Most new homes have a C-wire, but older ones don’t.
If that’s the case for you, either hire an electrician to have the wiring replaced or choose a smart thermostat that has an alternative way of providing power to the unit.
Conclusion
Well, there you go! Smart thermostats have added a lot of ease and convenience sto people’s lives, and we shared the five things you should know before switching to a smart thermostat.
