“Smart” home technology is rapidly advancing and today more and more people are bringing these gadgets into their home that improve their quality of life by taking over simple tasks that would have otherwise been tedious or difficult to monitor. One of the most popular pieces of smart home technology is the smart thermostat, which monitors the temperature in your home, controls your heating and air conditioning system, and even can adjust itself to both keep you comfortable and save you money on your energy bills. In fact, a good smart thermostat could actually pay for itself in as little as a year or two with how much money you save.
In the year 2018, there are loads of different smart thermostats on the market, many of which all claim to be the “best” available. So to help you know which ones might be right for your home, here’s a brief guide to the best smart thermostats available on the market this year.
Ecobeee 4
CNET has called the Ecobee 4 the “best overall smart thermostat” due to its wide range of features, intuitive user interface, ease of use, attractive design, and generally exceptional performance. The display is responsive and easy to read, showing you numerous details about the climate in your home, and the design makes it remarkably simple to make any adjustments necessary. The Ecobee 4 is also extremely small and attractive, looking right at home in almost any situation. It also includes a built-in Amazon Alexa speaker, allowing your already-existing system to easily connect, and giving you the ability to control the climate in your home with just a simple voice command.
The Ecobee 4 is available online and in stores for around $225.
Honeywell Lyric T5
The Honeywell Lyric T5 is a low-cost, high-performance smart thermostat with a number of useful features for the modern homeowner. You may be able to find the T5 down in the double-digit price range, giving even homeowners on a tighter budget the ability to switch to smart thermostat technology and start saving money. It comes with numerous automation features, and even includes the ability to connect to multiple smart home partners, including Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri. While some people feel that the interface seems a little dated, the feature list available for the price is outstanding.
The Honeywell Lyric T5 is available online and in stores for around $150, but can be found as low as around $100 through some retailers.
Nest Thermostat E
While programmable thermostats have existed for decades, Nest was the first company to really make a splash by taking it to the next level with many of the integration and other smart features it offers. However, their first models also came with a hefty price tag approaching $250 or so. Today, that’s no longer the case: the Nest Thermostat E offers many of the same features as the Nest Thermostat, but with plastic hardware, lighter components, and a price tag that’s about $80 less. The Nest is app-controlled, giving you the ability to change the temperature or turn your system on and off from your smartphone or tablet. The Nest is Amazon Alexa and Google Home compatible, giving you the ability to control it with your voice as well. The Nest is also a “learning” thermostat, which means it records and adapts to your climate preferences, turning itself on and off to keep you comfortable while saving you money.
The Nest Thermostat E is available online and at retailers for around $170.
If you need help installing any of these programmable thermostats in your home, call the Sterling heating & air experts at Donmar Heating, Cooling & Plumbing at (703) 457-8676 to request a service appointment and let our expert technicians get your smart thermostat set up properly for you!