Usually, a thermostat is a component of the heating system that senses the temperature of a room so that it maintains its temperature to an established set point. Those products that are smart enough can even decide exactly what to do throughout the day. They are connected to Wi-Fi and have implemented complex algorithms which calculate the best options for personal comfort and can be controlled remotely through different smartphone applications or, even from the online environment. In this article I will present the best options from the new industry that gathers the interest of many. Here you will find some of the smartest thermostats that could significantly reduce bills and offer a better comfort for houses.
Nest
Nest is a thermostat that was sold in almost one million pieces, mostly because it can learn your behavior and act accordingly. Until now, it has passed through a couple of years of trials, acquiring data and reactions of people to different temperature changes. Using this behavior and combing it with weather, demographics data and more, developers are continuously updating Nest’s algorithms for a better experience. Also, another purpose of this smart thermostat is to save up money by cutting energy when the heating system is not really necessary. So, depending on what are you doing or what time it is, Nest can take decisions for you. For instance, it’s able to tell in 30 minutes if everybody has left the house and set the temperature to a more energy saving level. It only takes a week to start knowing temperature preferences and everyday habits for creating a schedule. Its creator, Tony Fadell, is one of those that helped design two of the most interesting products ever, the iPod and iPhone. Its new creation is very sexy, has the dimension of a hockey puck, is round, squat, and compatible with 95 per cent of the American / Canadian heating and cooling systems.
The temperature can be manually set in two manners: either rotating the outer ring of the device or by using the phone. The second is one of the biggest benefits of this device because there is a dedicated application for iOS and Android devices, from which you can remotely set the temperature. For example, if you come home earlier and you want to find the suite heated, just access the application and set the desired temperature. The second generation of Nest can be purchased for $249.
ecobee Smart Thermostat
ecobee Smart Thermostat is a product through which you can easily monitor and manage your home temperature and comfort. Although the installation process is not so friendly, once it has been configured and connected to a Wi-Fi network, a code will pop-up which you will have to use for registering your device on the official web portal. All of these steps can be done through the use of a big touch-screen and the on-screen keyboard. Usually, ecobee can display the in-door temperature while showing weather-related information. The system has various algorithms implemented that combine a lot of elements, such as weather sensors, size of the house, type of the heating or cooling system and the number of people that live there, to maximize the comfort and reduce resource consumption. Two more interesting features available are Home IQ and DataRhythm Technology. If the first will give you detailed information about your consumption, energy saved and general performance, the second takes it to the next level. It’s practically a technology that can take decisions for you, based on all the data acquired through time. Another rather unseen feature of this service is that it reminds you, via email, when you have to change the furnace filter or when you have to do the periodical check. It also announces you at every sign of a problem through the web portal or by email. Nowadays, a very important thing that a device must have is the remote-control feature, which is available to ecobee too. Through the web interface and mobile applications for Android, iOS and BlackBerry devices, you can change the temperature from anywhere you are.
Ecobee is sold at a price varying from $400 to $500 with installation included, but if you think that you can manage that part, they also have here a better price.
Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
Honeywell is a smart Wi-Fi thermostat that learns the daily schedule of the owner way faster than other competitors. It has a big touch screen that is able to change its background color to blend better with the decor. Moreover, manufacturers say that it has the ability to set up the temperature with an accuracy of only one degree, which makes it a very precise device. Honeywell also has mobile support so you can change temperature remotely from your Android or iOS device and by contrast to the others, it also shows the indoor humidity and the time necessary for the temperature to change. Another big advantage is the alert system, which is able to alert the owner based on furnace behavior and when you have to change the humidifier filter, to do different maintenance checks or even when the weather changes. Honeywell’s flexibility permits users to program the device as either a home or business system. Then, it can preload the specific schedule for the each model. Say that it is set on the business mode, the thermostat will automatically load all legal US and Canada holidays into the calendar so that you will not waste energy heating or cooling the building when nobody is there. Another feature is the possibility of setting the fan control to ON, automatic and circulating. While the simply ON setting speaks for itself, the automatic setting will start the fan only when the heating or cooling system is started. The last, circulating option will start the fans randomly, summing about 35 percent of time.
Honeywell should be available at the end of May for around $249.
ENVi Intelligent Thermostat
The ENVi Intelligent Thermostat is a new smart thermostat from Daikin, which offers more control and comfort for your home. It is capable of connecting through Wi-Fi to official servers so that it can be remotely accessed via internet from every tablet, phone or computer. It comes without a special application, but a simple web browser will be enough to access detailed data and to make important changes. The device has a nice contemporary design, a LCD display with vivid colors, vibrant backlit navigation buttons and a menu which is very user-friendly. Everybody can understand it because it shows menu items for all your personal settings such as temperature, humidity, weekly schedule and more. ENVi also shows a live forecast for the next days and outdoor temperature which will help it to make decisions for you. From the web portal you can control the thermostat and use local weather and forecast to maximize energy savings. This service is available after registering a product on their site and everything is totally free. You can set-up the device so that certain features will require entering a 4-digit code to be accessed. Furthermore, it is possible to configure the level of access control from restricting all access only in vacation. Daikin’s device is very intelligent, being capable of alerting you in case of a malfunction of the heating system or even when you have to make periodical maintenance checks or, change the filter. If this is the thermostat you like, access Daikin’s official page and search for a retailer near you for a price offer.
Vivint Smart Thermostat
Vivint Smart Thermostat is a gadget that allows you to raise or lower the temperature of your house, whether you are home or away. It can be programmed for seven days in advance with different temperatures for each day. Vivint’s product comes with a LCD touch screen display which unfortunately is a monochrome one. The interface is easy to use and the screen will display when it’s in stand-by mode and set point temperature. The desired temperature can be changed either from the thermostat, or via internet through a mobile application that is available for Android and iOS devices. A very interesting feature of this model is that it has dual-thermostat and Z-wave support. Dual-thermostat support means that two thermostats can be set-up in the same house and can be controlled separately even from the mobile or computer application.
This device is included in two of the three Vivint Security packages: Home Automation ($68.99 per month) and Energy Management ($57.99/ MO). It is good to know that the thermostat cannot be bought separately because it is just a part of a security package. For more information about Vivint’s services and to talk with an agent please visit their official page.
Magnum Intelligent-Control
Magnum Intelligent-Control is a thermostat that doesn’t come up to the required standards of the others, but it is in fact a good and cheap option for all of you. The product is quite small, stylish, sophisticated and very easy to use – it can actually be programmed in six languages (English, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish). The intelligent function makes this thermostat to think and adapt to different situations. This enables the gadget to automatically calculate when to start the heating system so that the required temperature is reached before a desired limit. Another interesting feature is the on-screen help facility which will be activated after 10 seconds of stand-by and give a full explanation about the setting. All in all, it’s an option which you can take into consideration if you are not so interested in Wi-Fi thermostats.
