Save Money with a Smart Thermostat

Home Automation: Smart Thermostat

10/26/2016

Continuing our series on home automation, we focus on thermostats. Replacing a traditional thermostat with a smart one gives you a couple of advantage.

It can save you money as it automatically adjusts the temperature in your house depending if it is occupied or not. Raising or lowering the temperature during the day when the home is unoccupied can lesson your energy costs.
Second, there's a lot of convenience built into a smart thermostat. Think of your phone as a remote control for your smart thermostat. For example, if you're out all day and want your house nice and toasty before you get home, you can adjust the temp via an app on your phone. And who wouldn't love the convenience of being able to control the house temperature when you're nice and snug in your bed at night!

Installing a smart thermostat is a doable DIY for homeowners. Do your research to determine which brand is right for you. A good hint is to check to see if the company is committed to keeping their software and app up to date.

The Nest thermostat in Steph's house is Wi-Fi enabled, but it can be controlled and programed right at the unit.

The Nest comes with very clear, easy to understand installation directions. If you have problems, their online support is very responsive. During the installation, Steph had a question, so she took a picture of the problem, and they got back to her with the answer in a very timely manner.

This is the inside of the Nest. Everything is labeled and color coded making it straight forward to install.

This is the ecobee3 thermostat. It has gotten some great reviews and is the same price point as the Nest. It is worth considering if you use the Apple Home app.

As a Baby Boomer, a smart thermostat seems like a good investment as I age in place. The convenience for me would be the selling point. The ability to program it via an app whether on a phone or laptop would be a selling factor for me. No more coming home to a house that is too hot or too cold and no more getting out of bed to raise or lower the temp! That alone is worth it!

Please note: We are not sponsored by any of the companies/products that we used. These products were picked and bought by us.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!