As we progress further into the technological age, there are no bounds to what can be controlled by the touch of a finger – or simply a spoken word. Recently, the latest technological trend has included is having  a “smart thermostat” that controls your home’s temperatures without you having to think twice about it. But are these leaps into the technological future worth it? 

KCA Services is here to share the truth about smart thermostats and the pros and cons of investing in this technology for your home. Read on to learn everything you need to know about smart thermostats!

Advantages

Voice Activated

No need to get up from the couch when it’s too hot or too cold in your living room – just speak your desired temperature into the air and your thermostat will adjust accordingly! The majority of modern smart thermostats work with hubs like the Amazon Alexa, so any request spoken into the air is heard by your Alexa and adjusted accordingly. 

They Easily Sync to Other Devices

As mentioned previously, they pair well with the Amazon Alexa or other smart hubs to “hear” any request to adjust the temperature. Additionally, some thermostats can be connected to other devices like lightbulbs, door locks and smart plugs within your home for even more control and ease of use.

Geofencing 

Smart thermostats are aware of the location they exist in – they create a digital fence of the specific perimeter of your home. This perimeter means that if you leave a certain area, the thermostat will either turn on or off, depending on where the perimeter is set in the settings. Additionally, you can create custom perimeters within your home to individualize rooms.  

No Wi-Fi Necessary

If you suffer from an unreliable Wi-Fi connection, don’t worry. If the connection is interrupted, the smart thermostat will act as if it is a normal thermostat until it can connect again. If you are not home and want to check on the temperature when the connection is lost, it will stay set to whatever the temperature was last set as – just like a normal thermostat.  

A Jack-of-all-Trades

Smart thermostats have many tricks up their metaphorical sleeves, making them a perfect pairing for any home. They learn your schedule and living habits, allowing the temperature to be personalized without you having to intervene. This causes reduced energy bills because the system knows when to turn on and off and how hot or cold it should be according to the season or your personal habits.

Additionally, they can detect fluctuations in outdoor weather to change the indoor humidity, increase or decrease AC usage, and calculate how much heat should be implemented in a room. Its ability to anticipate and react to the weather is achieved through the smart thermostat’s connection to weather forecasts in their databases.  

Disadvantages 

Cost of Installation

The major downside of a smart thermostat is the cost that comes with purchasing one. Depending on the model, a typical smart thermostat can cost several hundred dollars to install. According to how large your home is and how your HVAC system is installed within your walls, you might even need more than one smart thermostat in your home – which can increase costs pretty quickly. 

What Happens When it Breaks?

If you are away from home and the smart thermostat breaks, you could arrive home to broken pipes or even worse problems within your home. When a smart thermostat fails, they typically do not notify you which could lead to a very unwelcome surprise when arriving home. 

If you know you’ll be away from home for an extended period of time, install a failsafe thermostat in case of any problems that your smart thermostat might encounter when you are away and unable to help. 

It Needs to Match With Your HVAC System

A major caveat of smart thermostats is that you can’t just purchase any one you want – the smart thermostat needs to match your HVAC system’s wiring and connective needs. If the wiring doesn’t match exactly, you can acquire a c-wire (or common wire) adapter that attaches to the smart thermostat and connects into your HVAC system. 

The best way to approach matching your HVAC system and a smart thermostat is to contact a professional to ensure the wiring can connect and doesn’t conflict with anything in your established HVAC system. Professional HVAC contractors can properly install the smart thermostat and make sure everything is up to code. 

Ready For A Smart Thermostat?

At KCA Services, our professionals can help advise you on what kind of thermostat matches your home’s needs and if a smart thermostat is the best investment for the kind of HVAC system you have. Our team is experienced and can make sure your investment is installed flawlessly. 

For more information on smart thermostat installations, contact KCA Services for a smooth connecting, high-tech home.