When you’re looking for a traditional standard thermostat, there isn’t much to consider. What does it look like? Can you program it? Does it have that cool old-fashioned dial?
When shopping for a smart thermostat there are many more options and some things one person may like, while the next person may hate. This is what we think is important to consider.
Smart home integration
Smart thermostats all come with an app or option to control the device from your phone. If you have a particular affinity for one smart home family or another, you’ll want to make sure you get a thermostat that works with your other devices. Most smart thermostats take voice commands Alexa from Amazonbut if the rest of your house continues, for example, Apple’s HomeKitnot every device offers support.
Make sure you buy something that goes well with the rest of your smart home.
Geofencing
For the most part, your thermostat’s job is to keep your home comfortable. This means that you don’t necessarily have to have the perfect temperature when you’re not at home. Many smart thermostats feature geofencing, meaning they can track whether you’re home and set their expectations accordingly.
Some devices track occupancy based on the phones of the people in the household, while others combine this feature with other occupancy sensors. The great thing is that you can set limits around this feature: do you want the temperature to change when you’re away? How far along do you have to get before it comes into effect? What temperature limits should apply when you are not at home? The latter is important if you have pets. You don’t want the cats to be sweltering or freezing while you’re at work.
How smart do you want your thermostat to be?
Everyone wants a different level of control over their thermostat. Some people want to decide what the temperature should be at any time. (In that case, you can also consider a basic programmable thermostat with Wi-Fi, such as the Honeywell Home RTH6580WFwhich doesn’t have as many smart features as its more expensive peers, but can be adjusted from your phone.)
Some smart thermostats can be too smart for their own good. One of the most common complaints I’ve heard is that some products will only hold the temperature you set them at for a little bit, then return to the temperature the thermostat says they should be. If that would annoy you, focus on the ones that give you the most control.
Taking a photo can take a lot of the stress out of the thermostat installation process.
Installation and HVAC compatibility
Read my full guide on how to install a smart thermostat here.
Not all thermostats are installed exactly the same, but they are all quite similar. Expect to need a screwdriver, pliers that can move wires, and possibly a drill and level. Installation is pretty simple once you’ve done it once or twice: turn off the power, mark the wires, remove the old one, plug in the new one, and turn up the thermostat.
You should be aware of two possible complications: First, does your system have a C-wire? There are usually about five wires coming out of the wall to connect a thermostat. The older wires tend to carry just enough electricity to power an old-fashioned thermostat. Smarter devices, which can tell you the weather or perhaps play your playlist and require an internet connection, require more power than that. This is accomplished via a C-wire, designed to carry more electricity to the thermostat. Not every home is wired with it, but if you don’t have one, you have some choices.
The first is to buy a thermostat that does not require a C wire. This is where the Nest thermostats stand out because they can charge their batteries via the other wires. The second option is to install an adapter kit. This involves adding a device to your HVAC system that converts one of the existing wires into a C wire. Luckily, most of the smart thermostats we looked at that require a C wire come with these kits. If not, you can pick one up for under $25.
The second installation complication is seeing if your thermostat requires high-voltage wires. This is most common with thermostats that power older electric furnaces or electric baseboard heaters. Today’s smart thermostats can support high-voltage wiring or heating appliances until you upgrade your system. High voltage wires are usually labeled and support an amperage of 120 volts or more.
External sensors
Your thermostat knows what the temperature is because it has a thermometer in it. The device’s understanding of the temperature inside is usually limited to the temperature exactly where you mounted it on the wall. What about that stuffy bedroom?
Many smart thermostats come with or can at least connect to individual room sensors. These room sensors allow you to train the thermostat to keep your home as comfortable as possible throughout your home. External sensors allow thermostats to target an individual room and send them to a comfortable temperature at a certain time (the bedroom at night, the home office during the day, etc.) or find an environment that makes everything as comfortable as possible, not just the room with the thermostat in it. Some even have proximity sensors in their room sensors, meaning they can tell when a room is occupied or not.
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