By CEDIA - Tue, Oct 15, 2024 - Blog
As homeowners, we all worry about rising energy bills – so any smart devices designed to keep these costs down are welcome. Smart temperature control systems leverage ‘Internet of Things’ technology to help us monitor energy consumption and be more sustainable. Whatever your smart heating and cooling questions, we’ve got them covered below.
Smart heating and cooling use automation to let you monitor and control your home’s temperature remotely. Some technologies can adapt heating or cooling based on the environment, while others let you program temperature settings depending on your lifestyle.
This is ideal if you want to save energy, or heat and cool your home ready for when you arrive. Likewise, remote control devices mean you don’t need to be at home when making changes.
Smart thermostats, or programmable thermostats, work over an internet connection, allowing you to turn them on and off remotely or set timers. Well-known HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) include Google Nest and Amazon Alexa. These are usually powered by smartphone apps, offering functions such as:
Smart heating works by linking a common wire, or C-wire, to your home’s heating and cooling system. The thermostat then communicates with your HVAC unit after detecting the room temperature. Using a WiFi network, it connects your smart device to the main control unit to let you control it. More advanced systems use AI to help set your desired temperature based on your routines.
These smart home devices help to regulate your home’s temperature, giving you energy savings and reducing your impact on the planet.
Smart thermostats help to regulate your energy use by giving you reports and detecting heat loss. They are versatile and work with boilers, heat pumps and air conditioning units.
They also give you full autonomy, offering full compatibility with your devices. For example, if you have a smart speaker like Google Assistant, you can use voice commands to activate your systems. These can also be automated based on your daily schedule, or even activated with motion sensors.
All of this DIY heating control cuts central heating bills and lets you optimize your energy use. You’ll benefit from an eco-friendlier home and full visibility over your spend.
There are very few downsides to smart thermostats, though there are associated costs. Generally, they will cost between $130 and $260, but the energy savings are more than worth it.
If you’re upgrading an old thermostat that’s connected to a boiler made before 1975, you may need an adapter. Most smart thermostat features work with legacy technology, but very old models will need this extra step.
You may need some level of electrical knowledge or general DIY to install a smart thermostat. You will need a range of tools including electrical tape and a screwdriver, so if you’re not confident with these, always call in a professional.
This is particularly important if you’re upgrading from an old system. Our CEDIA-approved integrators can assist you with installation.
Like any internet-connected device, there are inherent cyber risks with smart thermostats. You should make sure your device is always up to date with the latest security patches to prevent hacks. While the thermostat itself does not present a huge risk, it is connected to the rest of your network.
Devices powered by voice control, such as Google Home and Apple Siri, use encryption and authentication technology to stay secure.
You can still adjust your thermostat settings if your internet connection goes down. The only difference is that you won’t be able to access these features remotely, so you can do these on your thermostat’s touchscreen instead.
This does mean that more advanced settings, like adapting to the weather, will be unavailable. If you’re planning on going away for a while, check your WiFi connection first.
Smart thermostats work with most boilers. For example, Hive thermostats are compatible with US gas and LPG heating systems, as well as oil boilers. The exceptions to this would be:
Always check with your manufacturer if you’re not sure. Our integrators can also help advise you on the best products.
When buying a smart thermostat, you could consider: