Energy-Efficient Thermostats for the Home
The Department of Energy encourages all U.S. households to upgrade to programmable thermostats. Digital models are more precise and easier to maintain. Programmable systems allow you to schedule them, and automatic temperature control can reduce your costs by up to 10% a year. Many systems have profiles, which let you have different schedules based, for instance, on the season or the day of the week. They often have modes that shape thermostat behavior. Vacation mode, for example, makes it easy to set the system when you’re going away.
You also have the option of a smart thermostat installation. Smart thermostats offer programming as discussed above, but also have Wi-Fi support for remote access and control. You can control a smart thermostat while on the couch or away from home. That means you can set the vacation mode after you’ve already left. Many manufacturers also provide phone apps with a user-friendly interface.
A smart thermostat will often have additional advanced features beyond remote access and control. Energy monitoring and reporting are notable. These systems can monitor your electricity and/or fuel usage day by day. If the system detects a spike, it can alert you to a potential problem. These systems can also provide you with reports that help identify when your household is efficient and when it isn’t. By improving schedules and habits, you can save even more.
While schedules are a powerful tool, they aren’t right for all families. If you have a schedule that changes often, consider a geofencing thermostat instead. Geofencing is a feature that creates a virtual periphery around the home. It also tracks household members by their phones. That lets the thermostat set one temperature when you’re home and another when you’re not.
Here are some other aspects to consider for your new thermostat.
- Rate awareness
- Cloud computing
- Machine learning
- Demand response compatibility
- Room-by-room occupancy sensing