What’s the Right Thermostat?

Let’s explore some of the options that you as a consumer have when it comes to choosing the right thermostat for your home.

We’ve come a long way from the days of the round thermostat that had a mercury bulb inside. The thermostats of yore were very inaccurate and did nothing to help control humidity in the home. As technology has improved so has our available selections of equipment to control your air conditioner and in some cases, even control your entire home. Let’s take a look at some of your choices when it comes to thermostats today:

• Nest
  The Nest learning thermostat was one of the first to come on the market as a smart thermostat. Its big claim to fame is that over time it learns your schedule as you adjust the temperature. It was the first thermostat to offer a more aesthetic option to the traditional square box on the wall. The drawback, as I see it, is that as with any programmable thermostat you need to have a somewhat regular schedule to make the best use of this style of thermostat. Those that come and go from the home at the same time everyday can really benefit from the Nest thermostat. Nest was also the first to offer an app for mobile devices that allows you to monitor and control your air conditioning system from anywhere.

• Ecobee
  The Ecobee thermostat is a Nest on steroids for lack of a better term. Ecobee partnered with Amazon to build Alexa into the thermostat. What that means very simply is you get all the benefits of an Alexa built right in. The thermostat will play music, read you your weather forecast, make a shopping list and you can control the temperature with voice commands. Of course, the Ecobee has a similar app that allows you to monitor and control the air conditioner.

• Honeywell
  When it comes to thermostats, in this bloggers opinion, Honeywell is by far the king of the hill. The Honeywell products range from the most basic of digital thermostats for those that want simple, up to what I consider to be the ultimate of t-stats, the AZONE1050. The AZONE features a 7.3” touch screen with an SD card slot that allows it to become a rotating picture frame when not acting as a thermostat. It gives you weather right on the screen, indoor humidity levels, you can set reminders to change things like filters and UV lights. The Honeywell family of products all run on the Nexia platform which is fully expandable to full home automation. You can add light control, camera, keyless locks and more. My favorite Nexia feature is Geofencing. Unlike traditional programmable thermostats that require you have a regular schedule to maximize the benefits, Geofencing allows you to pick a distance from your home, say three miles. If your phone or tablet is within a three-mile radius of the thermostat it sets to your home temperature. If the device is outside the radius it automatically defaults to the away temperature. You get the cost saving benefits of a programmable thermostat with none of the specific time requirements of the past.

I have not touched on all the devices that can control you air conditioner. The devices above are just some of my favorites. I suggest you consult your friendly neighborhood HVAC tech in helping you choose the right thermostat for your wants and needs.

Until next time friends, is it just me or would a better name for veterinarians be a dogtor??

House Whisperer out!!