Can Smart Thermostats Save Money on Air Conditioning Costs in Boulder, CO?

It’s estimated that air conditioning costs homeowners an estimated $29 billion each year. And unfortunately, as summers get hotter that price is only expected to increase. With the influx of access to AC around the world comes the need for air conditioner efficiency solutions.

As it stands, a lot of the cool air produced by air conditioning units is wasted on rooms that no one is in. When you combine this with old units, poor insulation, and hot Boulder summers, it results in a high electric bill. The solution is a smart thermostat.

But what exactly is this new product? And how can smart thermostats save you money? In this guide, we’ll answer these questions so you can decide if it’s right for your Boulder, CO home.

What Are Smart Thermostats?

The simplest definition for a smart thermostat is a thermostat that connects to the internet. The specific features and benefits that smart thermostats provide vary from model to model.

That being said, almost all of them can adjust the heating and cooling on your property so that it works more optimally. Often this is for convenience. It’s a lot nicer to adjust the air from your phone instead of walking to the thermostat.

However, it also helps the planet. It’s an unfortunate fact, but air conditioners are fueling the climate crisis. The catch is that as the climate grows warmer the need for good AC rises all around the world.

Smart thermostats help ensure that cool air is only produced when it’s needed. This is great for the environment and, as we’ll see in the next section, your wallet too.

Benefits of Smart Thermostats

The main way that smart thermostats save you money for your Boulder home is by turning off the AC and heating when no one is home. Some are smart enough to turn off when someone isn’t using a room.

There are two ways that smart thermostats can do this. The first is through personalized scheduling. With this option, you input your daily schedule into the smart thermostat.

For example, you might say that you’re often away from home from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Then, the smart thermostat will adjust the AC when you’re away from home. And if there are any changes to your schedule you can easily adjust things manually using your app.

The second way thermostats turn on and off is through geo-fencing. This uses the GPS in your phone to determine your location. When you’re away from your home, it will turn off the AC.

Then, when you get back to a predetermined difference it will turn on again so you come home to a nice cool house. This ensures air conditioning efficiency without having to sacrifice comfort.

How Much Money Can a Smart Thermostat Save You?

You might still be skeptical that smart thermostats have the potential to save you money. After all, does turning the air on and off when not in use really amount to actual energy saving?

The good news is that there’s real-life evidence that smart thermostats work. Specifically, a study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that smart thermostats saved users around 8% on their monthly energy bills.

To translate, that roughly equals $50 per year. However, if you live in a place with brutal summers and winters, like Boulder, Colorado, then the energy savings can be even greater.

What to Do Before You Install a Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats are specifically designed to deliver energy savings. However, before you consider installing one, you should make sure that the maintenance on your AC unit is up to date.

It doesn’t matter how smart your thermostat is if you’re working with an inefficient air conditioner. Proper maintenance can make sure that it’s running correctly before you begin.

However, if your AC system is over ten years old, and you’ve been noticing problems with it, you might want to consider replacing it. This isn’t a bad idea, since you’ll already be overhauling your original thermostat, it makes sense to do the entire HVAC system.

This type of home upgrade can be expensive. But when you combine it with a smart thermostat the saving potentials are huge. You might also want to consider combining the thermostat with other smart home technology, like Alexa.

Are Smart Thermostats Worth It?

There are some scenarios where it doesn’t make a lot of sense to buy a smart thermostat. For starters, if you have an old AC unit. As we mentioned, the age of the AC will influence both the savings and the AC lifespan.

However, there’s also a chance that it might not be compatible with a smart thermostat. This is especially true if your AC unit is over fifteen years old and lacks a C-wire.

The C-wire is a powerline that’s dedicated to your HVAC. Some models of smart thermostats can work without a C-wire, but most cannot. Another situation is if you’re home throughout the entire day.

The people who benefit the most from smart thermostats are those who have to leave for work or school for most of the day. Similarly, if you live in nice, temperate climates, you’re not going to see huge savings either.

There will be some savings, just not a huge amount. Lastly, you might want to avoid smart thermostats if you don’t like technology.

This is a preference thing. Some people prefer simple thermostat settings or don’t want to take the time to learn how to use them. If you fall into this category, you might not benefit much from it, aside from some cooling costs reduction.

For Smart Thermostat Installation in Longmont, CO Contact DNI Heating, AC, Plumbing & Refrigeration, Inc.

We hope this guide helped you learn how smart thermostats can help you with your high electric bill. Here at DNI Heating, AC, Plumbing & Refrigeration, we’ve been around the industry for nearly three decades.

As such, we’ve prided ourselves on keeping up with the latest advances in heating and cooling.

So if you’re feeling intimidated by installing and operating a smart thermostat, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us today to get the hands-on, personalized service you deserve.