” Are Smart Thermostats Worth It? “
They can often pay for themselves through savings on your cooling and heating cooling bills, but there are exceptions.
Smart thermostats have been widely available for more than a decade now, and the consensus is clear: Yes, smart thermostats can be a worthwhile upgrade for many heating and cooling systems, trimming your utility bills while keeping your home comfortable.
If a thermostat can connect to WiFi (or Z-Wave, a smart-home-specific wireless standard), we consider it “smart.” Consumer Reports has tested dozens of smart thermostats in our lab, and currently, our ratings have 50 models. They range from basic models that simply let you adjust the temperature from an app through high-end models from the popular Google Nest and Ecobee lines that try to learn your habits and routines to save you money on energy while keeping your home at a desirable temperature. CR members can see our full ratings based on their automation features, manual controls, and more. (We also have ratings for programmable thermostats.)
Here, we’ll dive into how smart thermostats help optimize your home’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system—or not, because some households don’t gain much by switching to one.
READ more at: https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/thermostats/are-smart-thermostats-worth-it-a7822875275/