Many homeowners in the Austin area aren’t sure whether smart and programmable thermostats are one and the same, or if there’s a difference between the two. You may be thinking of upgrading in an effort to save on cooling costs or to simply make controlling the temperature in your home more convenient. Either way, there is a difference.
Programmable thermostats make it possible for you to pre-set your desired temperatures for various times of the day or week, such as at night when your family is sleeping, during the day when everyone’s away, or in the afternoon/evening when everyone’s home. Instead of constantly changing the setting on the thermostat when you leave the house in the morning or go to bed at night, the thermostat adjusts itself to the settings you put in. Convenience and money savings.
Smart thermostats are capable of doing even more, as they’re a bit more intuitive and advanced than programmable thermostats. Smart thermostats can make changes on their own based on your normal behavior and the changes you make to the thermostat. This type of thermostat picks up on and “learns” the manual temperature changes you make, and can even detect when no one is home or when family members are present in their daily routines using motion sensors. Some of the more advanced models allow you to control the temperature in your home via an app on your phone or computer and your home’s Wi-Fi network.
Both are highly popular and used by homeowners who want to not only save money on energy costs, but enjoy the convenience of not having to manually change the thermostat setting multiple times a day. Smart thermostats are usually a bit more expensive than programmable thermostats, but the conveniences are worth it to many homeowners. Which type you choose depends on your needs and lifestyle, budget, and technological skills.
At Schneider Mechanical our Austin air conditioning professionals can help you determine which type of thermostat may be right for your needs. For all of your HVAC installation and service needs, count on our team to deliver.
