4 Things You Didn’t Know a Smart Thermostat Could Do

Smart thermostats are the future of HVAC. In the next ten years, more homes than not will have smart thermostats; they’re efficient, relatively affordable, and can save you money and time! What’s so great about installing a smart thermostat in your home?Here are a few things you didn’t know many smart thermostats can do.
1. They can sense when you’re home.
You already know a smart thermostat can be set to waste less HVAC energy while you’re at work, then come on again just before you get home. But did you know that some thermostats have the ability to sense when you’re home and moving around, adjusting themselves accordingly? If you’re home sick for work, you don’t want to have to get up because the thermostat’s stuck on its “work day” setting. Smart thermostats can tell when you walk by and change the temperature on the fly to accommodate.
2. They can show you energy usage in real time.
Certain smart thermostats can link directly to your phone via Wi-Fi. Using an app, you can easily see how much energy (and money) your HVAC is costing each day/week/month and choose to adjust your settings accordingly. If you notice, for example, that 40% of your energy consumption is on the weekends, you can adjust the settings up or down a few degrees and work on keeping the temperature steady inside naturally. Using your app, you can check to see if those steps helped.
3. They can learn from you over time.
There are several kinds of smart thermostats and not all of them can “learn” on the fly. Learning versions monitor your energy usage, preferences (i.e. how often you turn the temperature up and down), and movements in the house. Even if you’ve set them for what you think is your perfect temperature, your thermostat can adjust itself to become more efficient without you having to fine-tune its settings.
4. They can work with your other devices.
Now that smart thermostats are commonplace, many new models are designed to interact directly with your other home devices such as Amazon’s Alexa or the Echo Dot. Instead of having to tell your thermostat you brought four friends home and need the AC pumping, Alexa can communicate that message for you, instantly adjusting the temperature before you even have to ask.
There are dozens of excellent smart thermostat options nowadays, from the classic Nest to the Lennox iComfort and many more. Which thermostat you choose depends on your HVAC needs and what you like to see in a display. Having trouble deciding?
Your friendly MTB Mechanical technician can give you a rundown on your options and help you choose the best smart thermostat for your home. In fact, we’re a North Carolina certified Nest Pro Installer! That means when you work with us, you get a five-year extended warranty directly from Nest, and you can count on getting the job done right the first time. Installing smart thermostats takes skill and experience, and it’s important you choose an installer who will optimize your thermostat to work with your specific HVAC system.
Give MTB a call today at (704) 459-4066 .