4 Features to Look for in a New Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats provide homeowners with more control over their home's temperature than ever before. However, you should remember that not all smart thermostats are created equal. Finding a thermostat with the right feature set to meet your needs will help you save money and keep your home more comfortable at all times.

When you want to buy a new smart thermostat, look for these four features.

1. Color Touchscreen

The user interface is a great place to start when comparing devices of any type since it will define your experience with the device every day. If you buy a smart thermostat today, it isn't living up to its name if it doesn't have a touchscreen display. Touchscreen displays are usually large, so the controls are often easy to see and access. Many touchscreen displays can help those who have vision impairments.

Color touchscreens take the UI capabilities of a smart thermostat even further. Color differentiation can display the relative temperature of each room in your home. Color displays also make filter change warnings and other alerts much more noticeable. Many thermostats even let you choose from predefined color schemes so that the interface is more enjoyable to use.

2. Zone Control

With modern HVAC systems, you are no longer limited to heating or cooling your entire house to the same temperature. Zone control allows homeowners to set specific temperature preferences for each room. Air duct dampers or separate air handlers focus airflow where it is needed in your home. If you have a zoned HVAC system, a smart thermostat could be a great upgrade for your home.

Smart thermostats that support zoning commonly include temperature sensors in each room. These sensors allow smart thermostats to accurately control the temperature in every room down to the degree. Virtually every smart thermostat supports remote control from a mobile device, so you will have more precise control over your home's comfort than ever before.

3. Add-On Compatibility

Homeowners who want to get the best possible air quality from their HVAC systems often invest in add-ons like air purifiers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers. All of these appliances are now available as smart devices that can integrate with your smart thermostat. This can be accomplished without adding any wires to your home, as most of these smart appliances use WiFi to communicate with your thermostat.

Controlling HVAC add-ons with your smart thermostat lets you take advantage of many of the same smart features available to your furnace and air conditioner. For example, you may be able to schedule your air purifier to run at certain times of the day. Some appliances can even read data from your smart thermostat and any connected sensors, which helps them only run when they are needed.

4. Usage Analysis

If you've made an effort to reduce energy usage in your home, smart thermostats can help with this endeavor. Many smart thermostats will analyze your energy usage and provide weekly or monthly reports. These energy usage reports often contain data like your hourly energy usage and any changes in your energy usage over time.

With all the information about your HVAC usage habits in one easy-to-read document, you can more easily form a plan to save on energy costs. If you notice any spikes in energy usage at certain times, you can investigate the cause and track improvement in real time. Your smart thermostat may even be able to provide recommendations for saving energy based on this data.

Smart thermostats can do more to improve your home's comfort and save on energy costs than most homeowners realize. Keep an eye out for these features when you're shopping for a new smart thermostat, and remember to call Comfort Technology Heating & Air Conditioning for all your HVAC needs.