As a Tampa homeowner, you may want to optimize your air conditioner’s performance. With Florida’s year-round heat and humidity, you should consider investing in a smart thermostat. With smart thermostats, you can maximize indoor comfort and have remote access to your home’s temperature. However, some drawbacks may impact your decision to buy.
How Do Smart Thermostats Work?
Before you purchase, you should consider the pros and cons of smart thermostats. Fairway Heating and Cooling’s HVAC professionals have provided all the answers you need to make the best decision for your home.
Smart thermostats are Wi-Fi-enabled devices. They can automatically adjust temperature settings to enhance your AC’s cooling efficiency. You can change your settings from anywhere since they can be remotely accessed from a smartphone or tablet.
They use the following to operate:
- Sensors
- Algorithms
- Machine learning
Due to their advanced capabilities, these devices have become popular in recent years. The thermostat’s sensors use geofencing to determine whether you are home. Once it has registered your location, it either suspends or initiates heating or cooling until the resident returns.
Unlike programmable thermostats, they require a Wi-Fi connection to access them from anywhere. In comparison, programmable thermostats cannot be controlled remotely and operate using pre-scheduled settings.
The Advantages of Smart Thermostats
Learning about the pros and cons of smart thermostats will help you decide what’s best for your home.
The following are the benefits of using smart thermostats:
Money Savings
In particular, one stunning feature allows homeowners to control their energy consumption. The thermostat app has an energy dashboard that shows an energy use summary.
The dashboard lets you adjust the temperature to reduce usage. Do this if your heating and cooling costs are too high. Residents adjust temperature settings to optimize energy efficiency and reduce costs.
Easy to Use
Smart thermostats come with an easy-to-use interface. They have large temperature indicators so that users can navigate the system with minimal effort.
Remote Access
Rather than having to preset the temperature settings, users can alter the settings anytime and anywhere. This advantage is what attracts many homeowners. In Tampa Bay, the weather can be hot and humid or rainy. So, remote access is helpful because users can optimize indoor comfort on hot days.
Improved Indoor Air Quality
These devices are innovative because they can control whole-home ventilation equipment as long as it’s compatible with the system. When the thermostat’s sensors detect poor indoor air quality, they can turn on the ventilator.
Reduces Energy Use
Smart thermostats can communicate with local utilities’ electricity prices. They can reduce consumption during peak times. Also, they have several economy modes. They aim to save energy while reaching the right temperature.
Convenience
They are convenient because they allow on-the-go users access to various settings to manage their indoor comfort.
Improve Your Home’s Value
Being able to use less power to achieve cooling saves energy and money. In return, making your home more energy-efficient will improve your home’s value.
Compatible with Other Devices
Some thermostats are compatible with other systems, like heat pumps, ventilation, and dehumidifiers. So before purchasing, check the product details to ensure your thermostat meets your needs.
Improved Energy Usage Insight
Due to the energy dashboard, you can gain insight and knowledge into your energy usage over time. This gives you the chance to increase your savings further.
The Disadvantages of Smart Thermostats
While smart thermostats have many benefits, here are some drawbacks:
Expensive
The main disadvantage of smart thermostats is that they cost more than programmable thermostats. This is something to consider if you’re upgrading your HVAC system on a budget.
Requires Professional Installation
In addition to being costly, they require a trained HVAC professional to install them.
Security Risks
Because they operate using the Internet, these thermostats are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. If this is a concern for you, there are several steps you can take to secure your device. Namely, you can use password or firewall protection to ensure your home avoids a cyber attack.
Override Settings
System overrides are possible with a UI that allows several users. So, the primary user would have to adjust the settings to achieve the desired temperature.
Loss of Functionality
If your home loses power or Wi-Fi, your thermostat will stop working.
Reach out to Fairway Heating & Cooling about Smart Thermostats
Now that you understand the pros and cons of smart thermostats, you can make an informed purchase. If you have trouble finding a compatible thermostat, contact Fairway Heating and Cooling in Tampa Bay, Florida.
At Fairway, we go the extra mile to ensure you receive quality HVAC servicing at a reasonable cost. Our professionals will guide you on maintenance, installations, and repairs. We are passionate about customer satisfaction. We perform all services with the utmost care.
Feel free to contact us today to speak with a customer service representative or to schedule an estimate!
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