Rümi's guide to adding a smart thermostat to your home. Five reasons why an upgrade is worth your time.
Old Man Winter has officially come home to roost, and that means keeping your home cozy and toasty is at the top of your list. Heating the homestead while not overheating it while you’re away can be tricky. The experts at Rümi recommend installing a smart thermostat to help take the guesswork out of the ups and downs of temperature control. If you’re already a fan of home automation, you’ll be happy to know that smart thermostats are designed to integrate easily with tech you already own.
Once your new smart system is up and running, the thermostat will begin to record your household’s living habits and adjust the temperature accordingly. These WiFi-powered tech miracles pick up on things like when the house is empty, when you return and when you go to bed. The smart thermostat learns your patterns in order to maximize the whole system’s efficiency.
Saving on energy costs is probably the main reason most households switch to a smart thermostat system. A WiFi-enabled heating and cooling system makes it super simple to schedule your HVAC to run less while you’re out and about and more when your family is actually home. You can use your smartphone to program the unit to switch on the heat right before people start returning so everyone walks into a toasty and inviting house.
How much does this impact your energy bill? The Google Nest Learning Thermostat helps you find the ideal energy-saving temperature for your home by displaying a green leaf icon when you’ve found that sweet spot.
Tracking the amount of energy you’re using is a mainstay of the digital thermostat. Most units will intuitively create a home energy portrait that gives you an idea of how your energy usage has changed over time. Smart thermostats can also provide data about how your energy usage can change future energy bills and suggest how you should adjust your home temperatures to keep costs low.
The ability to remotely control the temperature in your home via an application on your phone is another popular benefit of installing a WIFI-enabled thermostat. Let’s say you’re coming home earlier than normal, and you don’t want to walk into an icebox as you enter the door. Just tap your thermostat app and adjust the cooling and heating schedule for that afternoon. It’s a great option for those of us with flexible work schedules. Google’s Nest Temperature Sensor takes comfort a step further and allows you to tell your thermostat which rooms need a little more attention, because we all know that most homes don’t get heated evenly.
Many smart home thermostats use motion detectors to know when people are actively moving around the house. This feature allows them to learn you and your household’s patterns and know when the rooms need heating or cooling. This data even allows them to account for seasonal changes. This takes all of the guesswork out of scheduling your temperature needs. Many models like the Ecobee 3 Lite Smart WiFi Thermostat can also monitor the weather and increase the heat in a cold snap or cool things down during a heatwave.
Getting your smart thermostat set up is simple. In general, all you need to do is cut the power to the thermostat and remove the old faceplate from the wall. Note: if you’re removing an old thermostat with a mercury switch, you’ll need to dispose of this at a hazardous waste drop off location in your community.
Once the old unit is completely disconnected, check the wires and find the wire marked with a “C” or the word “Common” and connect this wire to the smart thermostat. Install the faceplate, switch the power back on, and the unit should walk you through the programming instructions. Make sure to refer to the manufacturer’s instructions if you have any questions. If you’re not up to doing this on your own, our team can also help with the installation.
Smart thermostats are an ideal way to make your home more energy-efficient, not just in winter, but year-round. You’ll thank yourself on those extra chilly winter evenings. Consider Rümi’s thermostat installation services or a new thermostat to ensure that your home’s heating system is working smarter rather than harder this winter.
