Smart thermostats are fast becoming a rage not only because you can now control your indoor comfort from anywhere but also because of the horn they toot about, bringing in big energy savings. Most people are inclined to buy one simply because the draw of lowering the utility bills is high. After all, who does not want to cut unnecessary expenses? We all do. It’s natural human behavior. But do smart thermostats actually save money on utility expenses? According to the naysayers, that is just a false promise.
Nevertheless, there are those also who sing its praises. So whom to believe? Cutting to the heart of the matter, we decided to present you with core facts. After reading this article, you can know for sure where to put your faith.
A Few Facts About Thermostats
1. The traditional analog thermostats are mercury-based. Since the technology involved is simple, they are the least expensive of the lot. Its two biggest drawbacks are:
- They are not programmable.
- They are not cent percent accurate.
2. A step above comes the digital programmable thermostats. These thermostats can be programmed, and the best part is, they are accurate. According to a study which was published in the journal of Energy Research & Social Science:
- 40% of programmable thermostat owners did not use the programming features.
- 33% of owners had the programming features overridden.
- 57% of these households were always occupied.
3. Right on top is the smart thermostats. These, too, are digital, programmable, and, as the name suggests, have smart capabilities.
- You can hook them to your home’s internet connection and control the temperature from anywhere in the world.
- Moreover, its smart capabilities allow it to learn your schedule and design the most energy-efficient program keeping your preferences in mind.
Analog Thermostats Do Not Give Energy Savings
Above, we mentioned two drawbacks of analog thermostats. First, they are not programmable, and second, they are not always accurate. Due to these very reasons, they don’t allow for savings in utility expenses.
We, as humans, are forgetful by nature, and sometimes, it’s pure laziness that drives us to overlook things. An analog thermostat has to be altered manually every time you come and go from the house. Similarly, for different times of the day, you will have to change the temperature settings manually. Sadly, it becomes too much work, and we don’t do it. So the home’s heating and cooling system continues to run at the same speed even when it is not necessary. This results in additional power consumption, which could have been easily avoided.
Being mercury-based, analog thermostats are not accurate. They continue to run even when the desired temperature has been reached. So that again means unnecessary power consumption.
Digital Programmable Thermostats Save Money
The prime advantage of using programmable thermostats is that you get to be as lazy and forgetful as you want to be, at least where the thermostat is concerned. You just have to be vigilant once and feed a program into the thermostat that suits your routine and preferences the most. You can feed a separate program for the weekends when everybody is home and a different one for the rest of the days. In that, too, the program can have different temperature settings for different times of the day. The crux is that the unnecessary running of the home’s heating and cooling system is cut down drastically, which means more savings in electricity bills.
Smart Thermostats Save The Most Money On Utility Expenses
Smart thermostats are indeed the best due to their intelligent learning capabilities. Here’s how they help you save money on utility expenses:
1. Programmable – Smart thermostats are programmable. As a result, they help you eliminate wasteful use of your residential HVAC system. If you are leaving in a hurry and don’t have the time to change its programmed setting, you can still do the needful from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop from anywhere. All you need is an internet connection at home (to which the thermostat is hooked) and on your controlling device (which you have with you).
2. Intelligent Learning Capabilities – Based on the program you have fed to the thermostat and your routine ( because its smart sensors can detect activity or movement), the smart thermostat works out a more energy-efficient program. It allows you to switch to the energy-efficient option that brings more savings without compromising your indoor comfort. What did you have to do for that? Just go on with your daily life.
3. Discount From Energy Companies – To make the people increasingly energy conscious, utility companies offer lucrative discounts on embracing energy-saving technology. Smart thermostats fall in the same category. Although they are expensive, this offering can make the deal sweeter and more palatable.
How Much Money Smart Thermostats Can Save
40% to 60% of a home’s energy bill is thanks to the HVAC system. Smart thermostats can lower this amount by almost 12%, and if you go for the most sophisticated and top-of-the-rack technology, you win big with almost 23% savings.
Closing Thoughts
Smart thermostats definitely help save money on utility bills. Although similar benefits can be achieved using a simple programmable thermostat, for that, you will have to put in the effort. Smart thermostats give an easy out because even if you do nothing, its intelligent technology will do all the hard work and all you have to do is accept its recommendation.
If you live in West Palm Beach, Florida, and are troubled with the high energy bills, the professional team of HVAC experts at Aztil Air Conditioning can help. To get further information on which smart thermostat will give you the maximum benefit, call us today at +1-888-729-8452. We will help you choose the best one, install it, and also take care of its repairs and maintenance. If you already have a smart thermostat and yet your HVAC energy bills are high, we can help. We are a full-service HVAC contractor who takes care of HVAC installation, maintenance, and repairs. Hence, we are fully capable of finding out the problem in the system and rectifying it. In short, we take care of everything HVAC, so you need not look at anyone else when the time comes.
