Smart thermostats are basically Wi-Fi thermostats that can be used along with home automation to control the ventilation, air-conditioning as well as heating of the house. The functions of smart thermostats are similar to the programmable thermostat. The main work of a smart thermostat is to allow the user to control the home temperature all through the day based on a preset schedule along with added features like Wi-Fi connectivity and sensors.
Just like any other Wi-Fi network, a smart thermostat is also connected to the internet via your home Wi-Fi. They allow users to adjust the thermostat heat settings from any internet-driven device like a smartphone, laptop, iPad, et cetera. This signifies that you can control the temperature of your house from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. This ease of access provides a lot of energy and money-saving options to the customers. It has been observed that houses that have programmable thermostats consume more energy compared to the Wi-Fi thermostats because the residents most often land up programming the thermostat in an incorrect manner or completely disable them.
Smart thermostats can also record the internal or external temperature, the duration for how long the HVAC system has been operational, and even let you know if the filters need replacement. You can find this information on your smartphone.
Similarities between smart thermostats and programmable thermostats
Smart thermostats, just like programmable thermostats, allow the user to set different temperatures for different periods of the day. Along with this feature, Smart thermostats have other technologies in place to reduce the human mistakes which most often occur in the case of programmable thermostats. Smart thermostats use sensors that determine whether there are people in the home or not. When there is no one in the home, the thermostat suspends the function of heating or cooling. Once someone enters the home, the thermostat senses the presence of a human and begins heating or cooling again.
Smart thermostats connect to your Wi-Fi. This in turn lets you control your thermostat at all times. Smart thermostats have proven themselves as a huge boon in saving energy.
So, which smart thermostat should you choose?
You want a thermostat that is not only intelligent but also affordable. A lot of companies have released smart thermostats like Google with its Google Nest and Amazon with Alexa-enabled smart thermostats. However, the Amazon Alexa-enabled smart thermostat is proving to be quite a challenge to Google’s nest.
Smart thermostat Alexa is the first smart thermostat from Amazon. This thermostat has been released as a part of Amazon’s sustainability efforts. Amazon has said that to make this thermostat, they have worked with Honeywell Home Thermostats. Therefore, this product is compatible with most of the current 24V HVAC systems.
At the moment, it seems that the Smart thermostat Alexa is relatively basic compare to other thermostat setups.
Smart thermostat Alexa is compatible with Hunches. Hunches is powered by Alexa. It allows the assistant to work based on your previous commands without the need for you to give a command every time. Like the thermostat can automatically adjust the temperature if it feels that you have gone to sleep or have left the house. Furthermore, if you said good night, and a smart light was on, Alexa would ask you if the smart light should be switched off. This year, Hunches has become automatic in the sense that it would switch off the light on its own once you say good night.
To be honest, at $60, what all do you expect in a smart home thermostat? Smart Alexa thermostat is a perfect product in this price range.
The smart thermostats that will help you save most of your energy and electricity bill expenditure will be the ones that are self-learning. Over time such smart thermostats will be able to work how your house takes up heat and cools down and will adjust its own temperature and schedule to go along with your daily routine. Alexa Hunches can help you save money by working out if you have already retired to bed or if you have suddenly gone out for dinner. But if your heating and cooling schedule is already preset with your thermostat, all Alexa hunches will save you will be pennies.
Alexa should have taken the self-learning route for smart thermostats. In this manner, it would have not only saved more energy but also more money for its customers. However, Smart Thermostat Alexa is only the first model from Amazon in their thermostat range, and the price is very less. Here’s to hoping that when the future models of Smart thermostats are released, they will be upgraded versions, as in they will be self-learning as well as more customer wallet-friendly.