Using a smart thermostat is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and maximize your HVAC system’s efficiency. Read on to learn four ways you can use your smart thermostat in Vero Beach, FL, to its full potential.
Customizing Your Home’s Internal Temperature
Your smart thermostat lets you program different temperature settings for specific times throughout the day. A simple example would be to set it to 74 degrees during waking hours and 78 degrees when you’re sleeping. Generally, the temperature is below 74 degrees at night in our region, so the AC system won’t need to switch on as much.
Smart thermostat apps available on your smart devices let you program separate heating and cooling schedules for different days of the week. Let’s say you work a continental shift with four days on and three days off, or you alternate from days to nights every two weeks. You could program one set of times and temperatures for when you work days and a reverse set of times and temperatures for when you work nights.
Smart thermostats can also learn your tendencies and then make changes automatically to adjust to your changing preferences. For example, if you program your thermostat to 74 degrees but constantly change it to 72 degrees to be more comfortable, your smart thermostat will eventually adopt that change into your set program.
Using “Away Time”
When you’re away from home, you can set the smart thermostat to a higher temperature so that it doesn’t run as much. For example, if you work all day, you can set the thermostat for something like 86 degrees and then program it to be at 74 degrees by the time you get home from work. Your system will gradually begin lowering the temperature so it achieves the desired temperature on time and conserves energy.
Smart thermostats connect to the internet, so you can download the management app to your phone and then adjust any programming “on the fly.” If you have to come home earlier for any reason, all you’d have to do is log into the smart thermostat app and set the temperature to 74 degrees manually before heading home.
In much the same way as smart thermostats can detect changes in your cooling preferences, they can also learn when you aren’t home. This refers to “smart-thermostat geofencing,” and when the smart thermostat learns a certain pattern change, it’ll begin turning itself off automatically when it detects no one in the house.
Keeping Track of Your Usage
Smart thermostat apps will also measure your usage so that you can see how you compared to other patterns in your home over time. That way, you can control your carbon footprint better and potentially reduce your monthly energy bill.
Some advanced smart thermostats can tie into your utility’s system. Then, they automatically make energy-saving changes that both lessen your home’s load on the grid and help you qualify for discounts or other kinds of incentives. They can also remind you to change your HVAC filters or schedule maintenance.
Using “If/Then” Settings
Many smart thermostat apps come with a feature that lets you set two temperature settings, one of which is the point at which the heat goes on, and the other of which is the point where the cooling goes on. As an example, you can set it to turn on the heat if the temperature gets below 62 degrees and to turn on the cooling if the temperature rises above 74 degrees.
Since 1962, our team has provided superior service to our local communities. Our NATE-certified service technicians are here to support you with 24/7 emergency services to make sure you remain comfortable in your home. To purchase a smart thermostat or to have us perform any necessary HVAC maintenance, call Grimes Heating & Air Conditioning today.
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