5 Features to Look for in a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats, also known as Wi-Fi thermostats are programmable thermostats as compared to traditional ones. This smart home device is highly energy-efficient, alongside benign cost-efficient as well.
All you need to do is hook it up to your home Wi-Fi network, and not only control but also monitor the temperature and energy usage of your HVAC system through the smart thermostat’s app on your smartphone or tablet.
The best part about today’s smart home devices is that most if not all have a remote access feature that allows the user to control the different aspects of their home through their smartphone, even if they are not at home.
While programmable thermostats aren’t a new concept, the new smart thermostats are much more advanced and have the ability to do so much more than simply controlling the temperature of your home.
A smart thermostat’s functionality varies from one model to another, but the main advantages of it endure: it brings convenience into your life and potentially helps save money on your electricity bills.
With there being so many smart thermostats on the market, it gets overwhelming to choose the perfect fit for your household. Hence, we have shared five features that the best smart thermostat should have.
Home Away Function or Geofencing
All smart thermostats tend to have their relevant apps that the user then downloads onto their smartphone and syncs the device to their home Wi-Fi network. Even though this is a common practice, there might be individuals who are not aware of this.
Make sure to download the smart thermostat’s app on your smartphone or tablet, in order to install and further use the geofencing feature. Basically, the thermostat’s app creates an electronic boundary or a geofence near your home.
Now, as soon as the user crosses that boundary, the app will automatically turn the smart thermostats on or off in the way it’s been programmed. This is a must-have feature if you are traveling or away from home for a longer period of time.
Receive Notifications
The main purpose of smart home devices is that you are always aware of what’s happening in and outside of your home. The same goes for smart thermostats, as apart from adding convenience to your life, it also adds an extra layer of protection.
If you are away on a business trip or vacation, it’s natural for you to always want to know if something seems amiss inside your home. For instance, if the temperature suddenly plummets, your smart thermostats should be able to send you a notification warning you that your pipes may start freezing.
This alert or notification gives you the ability to call someone over to your house so that problem is fixed before it becomes a disaster. Moreover, you can be anywhere around the world and have this done.
Proximity Sensor
It’s nice to have a smart thermostat that has a full-color touch screen, but it gets annoying if it lights up all the time. Another feature that you should look for in a smart thermostat is a proximity sensor.
This sensor makes sure that the smart thermostat screen only brightens up when someone is approaching it and dims as you are walking away. You no longer need to fumble with your smart thermostat in the dark or switch on a separate light to adjust your smart thermostat, if there’s a proximity sensor in it.
Room Sensors
It’s important for a smart thermostat to have room sensors in it because it senses the temperature of the air surrounding it. Now, even though you may have multiple smart thermostats installed in different parts of the house, they only have the ability to read the temperature around them, leaving parts of your home at an uncomfortable temperature.
Room sensors are just like button-like apparatus that have the capability to monitor the temperature of the entire room. The sensors then send this information to the smart thermostat to inform it if there are people in the room. Such sensors make the HVAC system much more efficient.
Energy Tracking and Reports
This in itself is a money and energy-saving feature that a smart thermostat should definitely have. The smart thermostats notice the energy usage within the house, and also track when the most amount of energy is being consumed.
It will then forward your findings and that allows you to adjust the temperature of your home accordingly. If you realize that certain parts of your home are benign cooled or heated more than others, you can have that changed. This way you will save money on your monthly energy bills.
Conclusion
Smart thermostats are a great smart home device to purchase, but knowing what features it should have is equally important. We hope this article helped you in buying the best smart thermostat out there!