How Do A Smart Thermostats Save Energy?

Tornadoes. Wildfires. Hurricanes. Floods. Earthquakes. Deep freezes. Weather is becoming more and more extreme, and natural disasters are now commonplace. Natural resources continue to be depleted, and the damage to the atmosphere becomes more severe as we continue to use them.

These massive problems seem too enormous for any one person to combat effectively. Most of us consider these as they relate to us as individuals. We try to decide how we can protect ourselves, our homes, and our families. The good news is there is one thing that can help with all of these: programmable thermostats! Keep reading to learn the answers to “How does a smart thermostat save energy?”, “Are smart thermostats a worthwhile investment for my home?”, and other common questions our HVAC experts hear every day.

How Smart Thermostats Work

How you use energy in your home can affect both your and your family’s health and how much energy you use — which, in turn, affects your household’s overall impact on the environment. And, the less energy you use, the less you’ll spend on utility bills.

Programmable thermostats have smart controls that allow homeowners to create heating and cooling schedules that change the home’s temperature based on things like when the house is unoccupied, like during the workday; occupied, like evenings or weekends; or when residents are sleeping.

Some models with smart technology also allow temperature control by zone, meaning that rooms that are used less are heated or cooled less. For example, more commonly used living areas are heated or cooled more. This has numerous benefits over traditional thermostats, including:

Reduced energy use — as much as 10% less annually, according to NerdWallet
Increases comfort levels
Can automatically adjust your heating and cooling system based on external temperatures (with an Internet connection)
Helps you save money on energy costs
Remote controlling and monitoring

Along with providing substantial savings on heating and cooling bills, many smart thermostats can be part of a complete “smart home.” Smart homes enable homeowners to monitor everything about their houses, like heating and cooling and security, from devices like smartphones, watches, or tablets.

How to Pick the Right System

One of the keys to achieving success with a programmable, smart, or wifi thermostat is choosing the right one for the system you have. One option is to replace your entire system — don’t forget the ductwork if you have a forced-air system — including the thermostat. If you’re looking to add a programmable thermostat to your existing system, be sure to consult a heating and cooling professional at All American Heating to help you determine what’s right for your home.

Most smart thermostats work with one of four different programming configurations:

7-day or 1-week models: run the set daily temperature schedule every day of the week.
5-2-day models: similar to the 1-week model, but automatically adjusts based on two schedules: one for workdays and one for weekend days.
5-1-1-day models: allow homeowners to program a schedule to run during weekdays and unique temperature preferences for each Saturday and Sunday.
7-day models: allow for different, programmed temperature preferences for each day of the week.

A few other factors you may want to consider include:

Energy Star certification (the higher the Energy Star criteria, the more energy conservation your thermostat provides)
Display quality
Integration with specific technology such as Google Home, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and others

How does this help with your family’s health?

There are several health perks to installing a smart thermostat in your home. With temperature adjustments of less than 10 degrees about half an hour before bedtime, most homeowners can fall asleep faster and sleep better. Sleep is one of the most important aspects of good health.

In addition, as part of a full-system overhaul in which your home’s heating and cooling equipment is replaced with more energy-efficient models your duct system is cleaned and sealed with Aeroseal, a smart thermostat will capitalize on these improvements with its heating and cooling schedules to deliver conditioned air where and when your family needs it. A new system installation like this can not only upgrade your furnace but also help ensure that it’s working at the promised efficiency levels without compromising comfort.

Sealed ductwork lets your heating or air conditioning system deliver cleaner air where you want it to go. A programmable thermostat makes sure this fresh air is running to your family when they are home to breathe it. All American Heating offers indoor air quality solutions to help keep you and your family healthy and living your best lives.

Smart Thermostat Tips

Consult your heating and cooling professional to choose the right furnace or boiler for your home. This will help ensure the smart thermostat you choose is compatible with your HVAC system.

Let a pro do your installation. Attempting to install smart thermostats on your own can be a tricky process and can affect everything from home comfort to product warranty.

Practice adjusting your smart thermostat over time to get used to using it. See how it automatically adjusts based on different scenarios. Try different smartphone apps or web interfaces. Finally, find a desired temperature range that works for your personal comfort preferences and stick with it. The innovative technology inside your smart thermostat will take care of the rest — and net you substantial energy savings!

How Smart Thermostats Provide Energy Savings

Consistent Temperatures

After “how do smart thermostats save energy?” the second most common question we hear is, “do smart thermostats save money?” The answer is absolutely! They excel in providing consistent temperatures throughout your home, which plays a key role in reducing energy bills. By leveraging advanced algorithms, a smart thermostat continuously adjusts the temperature settings of your HVAC system to align with your preferred comfort level without overworking the air conditioning.

This feature not only ensures optimal energy usage but also reduces unnecessary energy consumption, directly contributing to smart thermostat energy savings. The balance it maintains between comfort and energy efficiency demonstrates its ability to save energy and money.

Geofencing Capabilities

By using geofencing technology, smart thermostats detect your proximity to your home and adjust temperature settings accordingly. When you leave a predefined geographical boundary, the thermostat can switch the heating and cooling systems to a more energy-efficient mode to minimize energy waste when the house is empty.

This smart feature not only enhances the benefits of a smart thermostat but also reduces the energy bill by avoiding the heating or cooling of an unoccupied space. The integration of this technology with other smart home devices can further improve energy consumption and maximize your overall energy savings.

Learning Capabilities

Most smart thermostats have the ability to learn from your habits and preferences. Over time, these devices analyze your routine and automatically modify the heating and cooling settings to suit your lifestyle. This adaptation minimizes the operational hours of your HVAC system, curbing unnecessary energy usage and lowering utility bills. By understanding and anticipating your needs, smart thermostats save energy and money, making them a valuable addition to homes looking to enhance their energy efficiency.

Weather Adaptability

What does a smart thermostat do when the weather outside suddenly changes? Simple — they react! Smart thermostats can monitor external weather conditions and make preemptive adjustments to your home’s temperature. This functionality allows the thermostat to prepare for a sudden drop or rise in temperature by altering the indoor climate settings in advance, which helps maintain a steady energy output from your cooling system. This proactive approach not only improves the overall energy efficiency of your home but also ensures that your energy consumption remains low to reduce utility costs.

Remote Adjustments

Have you ever wished you could automatically set your furnace to start heating your house right before you arrive home from work, or worried about accidentally cooling an empty home while you’re on vacation? These worries are a thing of the past with smart thermostats. Smart scheduling systems allow you to adjust controls from anywhere, so you can keep saving energy without needing to be in your house to change the temperature settings.

Energy Usage Data

Smart thermostats have another cool feature that regular thermostats can’t hold a candle to: many of them provide usage data showing how your temperature settings are affecting your energy bill. If you’re a data nerd, very passionate about saving money, or simply have a lot of feelings about who touches the thermostat in your house, this feature was made for you!

Customizable Alerts & Notifications

Want a notification when the temperature in your house drops to a certain level or things start getting too hot? Smart thermostats can tell you with a pop-up alert on your smartphone, smartwatch, or tablet. Some state-of-the-art smart thermostats learn what notifications you pay attention to over time, only sending you ones that don’t interrupt your daily life.

To Learn More About the Benefits of a Smart Thermostat, Reach Out to All American Heating

Does a smart thermostat save money and energy? Without question! If you want to hear more about programmable, smart, or wifi thermostats, call All American Heating. In addition to installing smart controls, we also offer ductwork, IAQ, and a variety of professional heating and cooling services. Get in touch today to learn more about the smart thermostat technology we can install and how we can make your home more energy-efficient!