5 Things You Didn’t Know About Smart Thermostats

You probably already know that a smart thermostat can help you save on your monthly energy bills by not cooling or heating your house when you’re out. Sure, that one is easy enough. Don’t be fooled, however, smart thermostats aren’t just one-trick ponies. They feature more than a few different settings that will each make your life a little more convenient.

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1. Smart Thermostats Know the Temperature Everywhere

While conventional thermostats only monitor the temperature in one room, smart thermostats know the temperature of several rooms in your house and can even tell you the temperature outside of your home! Oh, and depending on your brand and settings, the smart thermostat you choose may use weather information to decide on the best temperature to set your home to, both for your comfort and to save you money on your energy costs. After all, the further your home temperature is from the outdoor temperature, the more energy you use.

2. Smart Thermostats Alert You to Problems

Not all smart thermostats have this capability, but the Ecobee3 will alert you if it senses something is wrong with your air conditioner or furnace. If your temperature isn’t dropping as fast as the thermostat expects it to, your AC may be broken. Trust us though, it’s much more convenient to discover that fact from an alert via an app than stepping head first into a swelteringly hot home.

Because the Ecobee3 is hardwired into your home and does not rely on your HVAC system for power, it will continue to work even when your system is broken, so you can rest assured knowing that you’ll always get the alert.

Your smart thermostat can also offer alerts reminding you to maintain your HVAC equipment or that give you a summary of the energy you’ve saved. The best part is that most smart thermostats will only send these types of alerts if you want it to.

Check these Home Automation Ideas to Make Your House a Smart Home

3. You Can Control Your Humidity with Your Smart Thermostat

Your smart thermostat can connect with your dehumidifier and regulate your home’s humidity just like it can with temperature. Not only can humidity control make you more comfortable, but it can also prevent ice from forming on your windows or mold from growing in your home. If you don’t have a dehumidifier, your smart thermostat can utilize your air conditioner to limit humidity.

Read more: Mistakes to avoid upgrading a smart home

4. Smart Thermostats Detect If You Come Home Early

Would a smart thermostat really be “smart” if it always followed your programming? Sometimes you’re forced to change plans and come home earlier than expected or later than usual. The motion detectors on smart thermostats help them determine if anyone is still home or not. Some smart thermostats have more advanced mechanisms that tell it when you’re headed home early, giving it time to prepare the house’s environment for your arrival.

5. Smart Thermostats Integrate with Voice Services

Not all smart thermostats connect you to a voice service, but Ecobee4 does. It comes with Alexa built-in (no Echo required) allowing you to ask questions, order food, and more. Don’t like Alexa? Ecobee4 works with Apple Home Kit, Google Assistant and Microsoft’s Cortana. With these voice services, you’ll also be able to change your temperature simply by asking!

If you’ve already had a smart thermostat installed in your home but are still having trouble figuring it out, the next step would be contacting a professional HVAC service to inspect and repair your thermostat system.

The Ecobee4 can integrate with other smart home devices too, each one making the smart thermostat even more convenient. That list includes products like Hue lighting, Kevo door locks, Nest cameras, Smart Things, and IFTTT. Whatever kind of smart home you want to achieve, your smart thermostat can be the foundation that supports each service.

Read more: Smart home guide

Written by Darren Johnson. October 31, 2018

San Francisco native Darren Johnson is a full-time college student, writer, and SEO expert in training, with a focus on making websites more engaging through their content. Right now, he's working with the team at landscapingbychuck.com. You can find him on the Twitterverse @DarrenACJ.