How to Save Energy with Wi-Fi® Thermostats
Because heating and cooling can account for more than half of your home’s energy costs, choosing a programmable, Wi-Fi® thermostat is a smart choice. By putting you in control of the temperature in your home... creating comfortable settings for when you are there... and setting temperatures back for higher energy savings when you are away or asleep, a programmable, Wi-Fi thermostat offers the ability to save energy all year long, anywhere you have an internet connection.
The Choice is Yours
Programmable, Wi-Fi thermostats are available through your local HVAC dealer, or at many retailers, such as big-box home improvement stores. There is a wide variety of models available with a growing number of features and functions built in to help keep you comfortable and save energy. Let’s take a look at some of the money-saving and comfort-enhancing features available.
Some thermostats don’t just learn. They teach.
Some Wi-Fi thermostats keep you connected and in control with a mobile app that lets you create and edit your comfort schedules, review energy usage and change your home temperature from virtually anywhere. Some of these Wi-Fi thermostats can provide instant feedback on estimated energy savings, in effect teaching you how to better balance comfort and savings.
Comfort and smarts that go hand-in-hand.
Some of the better Wi-Fi thermostats, like the Carrier® Infinity® System Control, include simple, guided scheduling that makes programming easy. They smartly manage heating and cooling with features that learn how to provide comfort when you’re home and savings while you are away. They can detect outside conditions and calculate the time needed to reach preferred comfort levels by the time you return.
Energy Savings & Reporting
With some of these smart thermostats, you can set your schedule and see how a temperature change can affect estimated savings. These thermostats have available monthly energy reports that track actual usage and provide comparisons to prior months. And, they might even provide customized tips to show you smarter approaches to energy savings.
Smart, Very Smart.
To balance overall comfort while also optimizing savings, some programmable Wi-Fi thermostats include a function that anticipates a scheduled temperature change, then smoothly and efficiently brings comfort levels to the new programmed setting. And, thermostats with occupancy sensing functions automatically set the system on more efficient temperature settings when you are gone, then reset the system to more comfortable settings when you return.
Efficiency Through Maintenance
Finally, because your system operates more efficiently when it’s properly maintained, some smart thermostats can help you save energy through periodic maintenance reminders. Maintenance reminders might tell you when it’s time to change air filters, humidifier pads, or UV lights... they can remind you to schedule maintenance checkups... and some will even contact the dealer for you.
The Bottom Line
No matter which thermostat you choose, the most important thing to do is... use it! The Department of Energy estimates that if you set your thermostat back 7⁰ - 10⁰ Fahrenheit from your normal setting for 8 hours a day, you can save as much as 10% on your utility bills over the course of the year. And whether you set it up to do so automatically on a programmable thermostat, or make the adjustments remotely with a Wi-Fi® thermostat, you can relax and enjoy the savings.
Wi-Fi® is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance Corporation.
