Smart thermostats have been a hot product among home automation enthusiasts for several years. They are also an entry point into home automation. But is installing a smart thermostat always a good idea? It’s hard to say. Smart thermostats have their pros and cons.
Smart Thermostat: Of Basic Definition
To understand the pros and cons of installing a smart thermostat, it is important to understand exactly what a smart thermostat is. Programming capabilities alone do not make a thermostat smart. And in fact, programmable thermostats have been around for decades.
A smart thermostat is designed with programming capabilities. But according to Salt Lake City’s Samedayutah.com, a northern Utah heating and cooling contractor, it also offers remote access and the ability to interact with other smart home devices. The most advanced have built-in AI for making automatic adjustments to programming. The best of the best can be programmed once and then left to modify their own programming independently.
The Pros
Installing a smart thermostat certainly has its advantages. At the top of the list is energy efficiency. Because a smart thermostat can be programmed and potentially self-modify, it can optimize heating and cooling in a home. Yet there is more to consider:
Financial Savings– More efficient heating and cooling should translate into financial savings. How much could a homeowner save? SameDay says that depends on a variety of factors.
Consistent Comfort – Smart thermostats tend to provide more consistent comfort by tailoring programming to a homeowner’s schedule.
Integration Capabilities – Smart thermostats can be integrated with other home automation devices. For example, integration with a smart speaker would allow a homeowner to change the temperature with a verbal command.
Reminders and Alerts– Some smart thermostats constantly gathered data from HVAC systems for the purposes of alerting homeowners to maintenance and repair issues. A thermostat can remind a homeowner that annual maintenance is due, for example.
Smart thermostats do what they do using a variety of sensors. And because they can be integrated with other home automation devices, they can take advantage of the data those other devices’ sensors gather. That is how smart thermostats monitor homeowner routines and self-adjust their programming.
The Cons
Everything is not sunshine and roses when it comes to smart thermostats. Installing one has its cons as well. At the top of the list is the upfront cost. Smart thermostats tend to cost quite a bit more than their traditional counterparts. A homeowner could spend hundreds on a top-of-the-line model.
Other things to consider are:
Connectivity– Smart thermostats require connectivity. They need reliable access to the internet. A homeowner who isn’t tech savvy may struggle with connectivity issues.
LearningCurve – Smart thermostats come with a certain learning curve. Some models are harder to learn than others. Either way, it could take a couple of weeks to figure it all out.
Compatibility– Smart thermostats are not necessarily compatible with all home automation systems and devices. Buying something incompatible with the rest of your home could limit its benefits.
Privacyand Control – All smart devices come with privacy concerns. Connecting anything to the internet creates the potential for hacking. From a control perspective, smart thermostats offered for free by utilities are often given with the stipulation that utilities can take control as they deem necessary.
Personally, I like the idea behind smart thermostats. I also get the fact that they aren’t for everyone. The good news is that no homeowner is forced to install one. We all have the right to compare the pros and cons and then make our own decisions.