4 Must-Have Features of a Smart Thermostat
A smart or programmable thermostat can help you save energy and lower your utility bills. It does this by changing the temperature in your Merritt Island, Florida, home automatically. It’ll pay for itself over time through power savings, and you won’t need to remember to turn your HVAC system up every time you leave for work or go to sleep. These devices are easy to install, and choosing one can help you increase the value of your house. Here are four must-have features you should look for when buying a smart thermostat for your home:
Wireless Control
Smart thermostats can connect wirelessly to many different types of devices. You can use a remote control, or you can make changes from anywhere with your computer, smartphone or tablet. You should look for a model that can connect easily to your home network, such as the Trane Comfortlink II XL1050. It comes with a Nexia Bridge home automation hub, allowing you to control smart locks, smart doorbells, smart lighting, smart refrigerators and other appliances from one convenient app. The Nexia Bridge can also connect to more than 200 devices at once.
In addition, a smart thermostat can communicate wirelessly with more than one compatible HVAC system. That way, you won’t have to walk all the way to your heater or air conditioner if you need to adjust the temperature on a different floor or check on the system in a new addition.
Zoning
With zoning, your smart thermostat can connect to several thermometers in different parts of your home. A smart thermostat with zoning can connect to a ductless HVAC system with more than one indoor unit or to multiple HVAC systems. You can also have dampers installed in your ductwork to direct conditioned air where you need it most.
Zoning lets you compensate for warm or cool areas and avoid conditioning empty rooms to save energy. It lets you and your family members choose comfortable temperatures for your bedrooms without making people in other parts of your home chilly or hot. Using zoning can also improve your home’s indoor air quality by keeping contaminants from traveling easily through your home. Zoning can keep unpleasant smells from spreading as well.
Since you won’t have to heat or cool every part of your home at once, you can reduce wear and tear and inconvenient, costly breakdowns. You can also extend the life of your HVAC equipment. When it’s time to replace your system, you can even choose a less expensive, more compact model with a lower capacity.
Learning
A smart thermostat can connect to cameras and motion sensors in your home to learn your routine automatically over time. That way, you won’t have to spend lots of time programming your thermostat or making adjustments every time your schedule changes. You just have to choose your temperature preferences for occupied and unoccupied parts of your home in summer and winter.
You can also use your smart thermostat’s app to set up geofencing. This feature tells your smartphone’s GPS to let your smart thermostat know when you’re away from home. You’ll just need to create an electronic boundary in your neighborhood that will activate geofencing when you cross it. That way, your smart thermostat won’t turn your HVAC system down or off if you’re taking a quick walk.
Detailed Updates and Reports
You can connect many smart thermostats to indoor air quality monitors that let you know if there’s a problem with your air quality. You can also get regular reports about your home’s energy use and maintenance reminders for your HVAC system. With some models, you can even get weather forecasts and updates about the outdoor temperature and humidity.
Merritt Island Air & Heat is a Trane Comfort Specialist with decades of heating, cooling and indoor air quality experience. Satisfying all of our customers is our top priority, and we can help you find the best smart thermostat for your home. For excellent service from our skilled, friendly professionals, call us anytime at (321) 392-6564.
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