The Benefits of Smart Thermostats in Managing Summer Cooling
There are many tips you can utilize to help you manage the heat of a Belleville summer, but let’s focus specifically on the many benefits of using a smart thermostat. While a programmable thermostat can also help, there is a significant advantage to having a smart thermostat that learns your family’s routines.
Benefits of a Smart Thermostat
The best part of using a smart thermostat is that it automatically reduces your energy use when your family isn’t home. This alone would be enough to justify the higher initial cost of a smart thermostat, but it also offers several more important benefits.
Enhanced Convenience and Comfort
Smart thermostats learn your family’s temperature preferences and make adjustments to ensure comfort. Additionally, you can access your smart thermostat remotely, which enables you to make changes from any web-enabled device.
Depending on the model you purchase, it could also come with features such as “away” or “follow me” modes. With “follow me,” for instance, your thermostat will track your location and make necessary adjustments. This is most useful if you have zoned HVAC or mini-splits with individual room controls.
Boosts Integration and Home Automation
To get the most out of your smart thermometer, don’t forget to connect it to your other smart devices. You can create an advanced automated system that works with your smart lighting system or occupancy sensors.
Furthermore, you’ll experience added convenience by using voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Alexa to control your thermostat. Some users will also receive the added benefit of maintenance reminders. Make sure you follow them, or else your AC’s efficiency will drop.
Reduce Energy Bills
You can receive significant savings on your energy bills by programming it to adjust the temperature when you’re away. Rather than turning your AC off altogether, this will help maintain a comfortable indoor temperature more efficiently. Otherwise, your AC will have to work much harder to cool off your home.
Another opportunity to cut your energy bills comes when you’re sleeping. While it’s true that sleeping in a cool room is much better for you than a warm room, it can also become overly cold. Instead, by setting your smart thermostat to adjust the temperature at night, you’ll optimize your energy usage without making it too warm to sleep.
Geofencing is also helpful and uses GPS to determine your location. In other words, if you have the geofencing feature enabled, your smart thermostat will detect when you’re on your way home. A temperature adjustment will be made automatically to ensure comfort.
Finally, some models offer a detailed energy usage report. Pay attention to these reports, as they will help you discover additional ways to optimize your energy consumption.
Alerts and Notifications
Aside from getting an alert when it’s time for maintenance, your smart thermostat also provides several other notifications, such as:
- Temperature trends
- System failure
- Filter changes
- Power outages
- Energy use
Each of these alerts helps you keep your AC in better shape. In fact, they’ll help you find small issues before they have time to become major problems. This also provides a more cost-efficient way to keep your AC functioning properly.
Take Advantage of Rebates
Smart energy consumption is commonly subsidized by state, federal and power company rebates. Because the initial cost of purchase and installation can be a deterrent, instant rebates are often available at the time of sale. You can find information about the various deals available on your power company’s website and by asking your HVAC professional. If you are purchasing a smart thermostat from a third-party retailer, such as a big-box store, they may also be able to inform you about current incentives. Some HVAC companies will fill out the rebate form themselves and charge you the discounted price up front.
Metro East’s Top HVAC Team
BELOMAN has been proudly serving the Greater Belleville area since 1959. We offer a variety of services to help you manage summer cooling, including AC repairs, installation, and maintenance. Our second-generation, family-owned company has won several local and national awards, including the Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer Presidential Award six times.
Do you need help ensuring you can properly manage summer cooling in the Belleville area? Contact BELOMAN today for assistance.
