THERMOSTATS AND SMART CONTROLLERS

We’ve all heard the jokes about parents having to ask their children for help with things like smartphones and computers. While those stories are likely exaggerated, many people are feeling overwhelmed by the speed of technological advances. One example is what used to be the simple mechanical thermostat on the wall controlling your heating and cooling systems. It has been pretty much relegated to scrap heap by electrical thermostats, programmable thermostats, and now smart thermostats. Merts Heating and Air Conditioning is here to help you decide what’s best for your Chicagoland or Western Indiana home.  Let’s start by making sure we are all on the same page.

Manual thermostats

These are pretty hard to find, especially the mechanical type. These days even manual thermostats are electrical with digital displays. They are being installed in fewer and fewer homes. A manual thermostat will NOT save energy unless you are diligent about changing the temperature setting at night or when you leave to go to work and very few people are disciplined enough to do that.

Programmable thermostats

In simple terms this allows you to have different temperature settings for different times of the day. You set it up based on your schedule. Once it’s programmed the thermostat will adjust the temperature on its own.

• You can program it to turn the temperature up or down when you leave for work in the morning.
• The schedule then changes temperature before you arrive home to make the comfortable.
• Most programmable thermostats automatically switch between heating & cooling.
• When programmed and used correctly programmable thermostats can cut energy usage significantly.

Wi-Fi connected

These will give you all the benefits of a programmable thermostat with one big addition. They can be connected to your home Wi-Fi network giving you control of your heating and cooling systems from literally anywhere using a mobile device. Think of some of the things it can do:

• If the kids get out of school early because of snow, use your phone to change the setting and the house will be comfortable when they get home.
• Sometimes you’re in a hurry when you leave on vacation and forget to change the thermostat. Now it’s no problem.
• If stormy weather hits while you’re away, you can check the status of the system.

Smart thermostats

Now comes the next step which is the smart thermostat. These thermostats “learn” things based on your schedule and your environment. Smart thermostats factor in the local weather forecast and use sensors to learn your temperature preferences. When the information is gathered the thermostat uses computer formulas to create a heating and cooling schedule. The best way to put it is the smart thermostat programs itself.

Determine what’s best for you

Merts Heating & Air Conditioning is proud to feature thermostats by Honeywell and the Ecobee Smart Thermostat with voice control. If you are still unsure about what’s best for you and your home call us to find out more.