One expense that can make a serious dent in your budget during those hot Florida months is your power bill. The cost of air conditioning is one of the largest single energy expenses in your home, making up 15% on average of your total energy costs.
While you can turn your thermostat up when you leave your home to save a little money, it means coming back to an uncomfortably warm house. You have to sweat it out while waiting for it to cool down again, unless… you have a smart thermostat!
Smart thermostats are one of the “hottest” home technologies trends due to their ability to save energy and make it easier to control your home’s HVAC system. Air Tech of Central Florida sells the Nest smart thermostat and we’ve seen its ability to lower energy costs in action.
How exactly can you save money with Nest? We’ve got a smart thermostat primer below that will tell you everything you need to know about these 21st century gadgets.
How Does A Smart Thermostat Work?
A smart thermostat replaces the older model you have on your wall, and it gives you much more control over your HVAC system via its wireless connection. While you can still turn the dial up or down manually, the beauty is in its ability to be controlled remotely via a smart app and automate home comfort control.
The Nest app can be used from your smartphone or mobile device to control your thermostat from anywhere, and beyond controlling the settings, it can also give you insight into your energy use.
According to Nest, their smart thermostat saves families an average of 15% on their energy bills.
Saving 15% on energy bills is pretty significant and Nest says that their smart thermostats typically pay for themselves in two years or less, which makes them a value-added home investment.
Here’s How a Smart Thermostat Can Lower Your Energy Costs
When we’re in homes for our regular HVAC maintenance visits, we are often asked about the benefits of installing a smart thermostat and people are generally surprised at how much more these smart gadgets can do than they thought.
Here are six ways that a smart thermostat can benefit you and your family.
Remote Control Your Home Comfort
When you can remote control your thermostat from your smartphone, you can lower energy costs by keeping your home a little warmer while you’re at work during the day, without having to sweat it out when you get home.
Instead, you can turn your thermostat back down before you head home and ensure your house will be cool by the time you get there.
How much energy can you save by keeping your house a little warmer when you’re not there? According to the U.S. Energy Department, turning your thermostat back by 7 to 10 degrees F for 8 hours a day can save you as much as 10% a year on your energy costs.
Learn Your Energy Use Patterns
The app that controls your smart thermostat gathers detailed energy use statistics about your home so you can start to see patterns of when energy use is the highest and adjust where needed.
With easy access to graphs of your home energy use you can also be alerted if it spikes unusually high for some reason and take action before it causes your energy bill to skyrocket.
Air Filter Reminder
When’s the last time you changed your HVAC filter? Keeping your air filter changed regularly is important for the efficient operation of your HVAC unit. The Nest smart thermostat reminds you when it’s time to change your filter, making your life easier and your system more efficient.
Self-Programming For Efficiency & Comfort
A step up from the main Nest thermostat is the Nest Learning Thermostat. It learns your patterns and the temperatures your family likes, and then builds a schedule around yours to keep your thermostat set at the most efficient, yet comfortable, temperatures every day… all automatically!
Fine-Tunes For Seasonal Changes
As the seasons change, your smart thermostat is paying attention. Nest fine-tunes its efficiency scheduling according to seasonal changes, helping you save even more. Just these small seasonal tweaks to its learned temperature schedules have saved users 5-10% on their energy consumption.
Connect To Other Smart Devices
You’ve left in a hurry and forgot to turn the lights off. No problem! Nest noticed you’re not there and has wisely turned your lights off for you through use of smart home technology (saving you even more energy!).
Nest connects with many other IoT (Internet of Things) devices giving you even more value. Here are some of the things you can integrate with this smart thermostat:
- Google Home
- Amazon Alexa
- Fitbit
- LIFX smart lights
- Philips hue
- Jenn-Air smart oven
- Haiku® with SenseME
ceiling fan - Rheem EcoNet Smart Home System
- Flair Pucks and Smart Vents
- CoolRemote Cool Automation HVAC gateways
Find Out How To Get A Smart Thermostat Of Your Own
Installing a Nest smart home thermostat is easy and painless. Our Air Tech of Central Florida technicians can be in and out in no time. We’ll also show everything you need to know to control it and make the most out of your new thermostat.
Get your Nest thermostat today by calling (407) 901-2777.
Author Bio:
Luigi Ferraro
Specializing in residential and commercial HVAC services, Air Tech offers a wide range of solutions to meet the heating and cooling needs of their customers. Their team of skilled technicians is trained to handle the installation, repair, and maintenance of HVAC systems with expertise and precision.
The post 6 Ways To Get Energy Smart With Smart Home Thermostats (Like Nest!) appeared first on Air Tech of Centra Florida.