What to Look for When Buying a Smart Thermostat

How to pick the right Wi-Fi thermostat for you

A comprehensive smart thermostat buying guide helps identify the key features to look for when selecting a thermostat for your home. Before shopping for one, learn the difference between a smart thermostat and a regular programmable thermostat. A smart thermostat allows you to control your home's heating remotely over the internet connection or via a mobile app. Therefore, when making a smart thermostat vs. programmable thermostat shopping decision, weigh the importance of controlling your home's heating and cooling systems while you're away.

Some smart thermostats can also learn your preferences and use data gathered from their sensors to adjust heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) settings without your input. Such a smart thermostat can adjust a home's ambient temperature based on the current weather at the location. Smart thermostat features like this make connected HVAC systems more efficient and reduce users' electricity bills by optimizing heating and cooling at different times of the day and year.

After learning about smart thermostats, you may wonder: what is the best smart thermostat to buy? Factors to consider when comparing different models include design, compatibility with your heating and cooling systems and C-wire (common wire) requirements. A C-wire is the wire that connects to your HVAC system to provide a smart thermostat with continuous power. C-wires are required on most smart thermostats. It's also important to consider features that improve user experience, such as the ones discussed below.

Learning features

Learning features usually win over reluctant homeowners still wrestling with the question: is a smart thermostat worth it? The ability to learn your preferences without manual programming is why smart thermostats are popular Internet of Things (IoT) devices found in smart homes. A smart thermostat relies on its sensors to learn your habits and adjust heating and cooling accordingly. For example, Wi-Fi thermostats will learn when you wake up, go to work, return home and go to bed to provide the right ambient home temperatures for specific times of day.

A smart thermostat uses these pieces of information for pattern recognition to set up a routine. When the device senses no movement for an extended period, it infers that no one is home then goes into Away Mode. These automated energy-saving benefits help settle the debate when weighing the pros and cons of a smart thermostat.

App and voice control

App control is another key differentiator in the smart thermostat vs. programmable thermostat comparison. It provides mobile access to all the functions of a smart thermostat and allows you to control and program the device from anywhere. A dedicated mobile app also presents key real-time information about your HVAC units on your smartphone and delivers alerts about abnormal temperature and humidity changes that might indicate a problem.

Choose a smart thermostat with an app for your mobile platform of choice. While most smart thermostats have iOS and Android apps, it's important to double-check to confirm that the one you choose is compatible with your smartphone or tablet. Smart compatibility should be top of mind when answering the question, what is the best smart thermostat to buy? Find a unit that works with your preferred smart home ecosystem and supports its digital voice assistant so you can enable remote control via voice commands. When integrated into a smart home, you can control certain Wi-Fi thermostat features and functions by issuing voice commands using digital assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri.

Geofencing

Geofencing is one of many cost-saving smart thermostat features to look for when shopping for a new thermostat. A model with geofencing lets you set a virtual border around your home. When you cross invisible border, it triggers an action from your smart thermostat, such as lowering the heat or turning on the central air conditioning unit. Geofencing relies on GPS and usually tracks to the location of your cell phone. Set up a geofence about a few miles from your home if you'd like your smart thermostat to begin a pre-programmed routine whether you’re coming home or leaving for the day.

Motion and proximity sensors

Sensors are responsible for most smart thermostat features that make switching from basic thermostats an eye-opening experience. Sensors allow a smart thermostat to see what’s happening in their environment. They provide local actionable information the device can use to initiate various routines as it learns your habits. For example, a motion sensor can detect when you're up and about and when you go to bed. It can also detect when no one is at home. A proximity sensor also detects presence and can detect when someone is approaching the thermostat, resulting in the screen lighting up, but it has a shorter range. When no one is near the device, the sensor transitions the device to low-power mode by dimming or turning off its display.

Convenience features

There are optional smart thermostat features that provide additional convenience, and they are brands usually reserved for premium models. While they're not essential, these are desirable features that can make a thermostat smarter and help reduce a home's heating and cooling costs. A good example of this is a filter change alert, a feature that alerts you when it's time to change the filter in your air conditioning unit or furnace. The feature relies on measuring how long the filter has been in use and comparing that time to the manufacturer's recommended lifespan.

While often overlooked, intuitive controls and a backlit display should be top considerations when researching smart thermostats. These features make setting up the device and adjusting settings easier. A clear, backlit screen and an intuitive interface also present essential HVAC information in an easy-to-read format.

Zoned heating is a standout feature on smart thermostats, providing benefits that are immediately obvious. It allows you to set different temperatures for different parts of your home. This multi-room feature is especially useful for large homes. A multi-zone smart thermostat can further reduce heating and cooling costs by turning off air quality systems in unoccupied parts of your house. It also saves you the cost of getting multiple thermostats to control different parts of your home.

So, consider looking into how to set up a smart home to ensure that your living space is optimized for convenience and efficiency. Then, make your shopping decision easy by going with a smart thermostat that helps reduce your electricity bill the most. To find the right model, consider compatibility, wiring requirements and smart thermostat features that make the device truly smart and convenient to use.