Do you have a smart or dumb thermostat?

[Lubener]

Dumb all the way. I do not want my HVAC thermostat having internet connectivity ever.

 

[MNgopher]

Smart. Ecobee.

We have a smart thermostat so I can verify that the heat is running during the winter when we are away. Snowbirds in the family had a huge issue when their heat went out while they were away and froze their pipes, etc... No thanks... System sends an alarm when the indoor temp goes low, and I can monitor it.

Also takes care of the issue of the thermostat being in a room that gets lots of sunshine on sunny days - the back of the house does not, and a second sensor that controls the temp from there makes the house more comfortable overall.

It also drops the temp back when it senses nobody is home (occupancy/motion sensor).

Ours does NOT talk to the utility company. There are programs by some utilities that will get you a smart thermostat, and will allow the utility company some control in emergency or unusual circumstances. The point being, you have to opt IN to that type of program, not opt out.

 

[skyactiv]

I have an Ecobee thermostat. My home has geothermal and the thermostat switches automatically between heating and cooling. There is a thresholds setting to adjust the temp delta. Currently, my heat is set at 69 and the AC is 75.

 

[Timmastertech]

Dumb for me at home and at work. When we put a waste oil furnace in at the shop a couple years ago it came with a programmable thermostat that pissed me off enough that I pulled it out and got a plain jane round thermostat and set it back manually when I leave at night.

 

[cpayne5]

@eljefino - I went through a couple smart thermostats and they didn't have all the features I wanted. I didn't want a Nest, so I built my own. I have a second zone with an identical setup.

 

[Wingo]

I would kind of like to have a smart thermostat, I believe I need to rewire to get a power wire included. Main reason is if away from home I'd like to be alerted if the furnace conked out so I canake some arrangements to get things going again before the pipes freeze.

 

[Eddie]

I still set mine manually and I don't have an issue because I'm devoriced.

 

[nickaluch]

I have a programmable thermostat just leave it set at 70 in the winter sometimes raise it to 72 if I feel cold sometimes down to 69 at night if I remember .

 

[oldgrayman]

I have zero need for a programmable thermostat or wireless connectivity or any of that . I set it as needed and it takes about 2 seconds , if that .

 

[tbm5690]

We have a Honeywell T9 for the sole purpose of once I’m comfortable in bed I am not walking back downstairs to change the thermostat if I deem it uncomfortable. Other than that, it’s on a temperature “hold” 24/7, which means it otherwise operates as a basic dumb thermostat. It does log runtime and tell me when the filter needs changed. You can also change the filter change interval, based on “days of runtime”.

I can also set the fan to “circulate” mode which will turn on just the fan on and off occasionally to move air through the house. That alone has helped tremendously, with the other thermostat you had off, auto (fan would only kick on when it calls for heat/AC), and on (fan runs constantly). The upstairs would end up boiling hot, ground floor fairly comfortable, and downstairs pretty chilly in the winter regardless of the season.

I can also compare years. Last year in July the average high in my area was 76F with 5 days of rain, 15 days of cloudy, and 11 sunny days. 2023 was an average of 77F, 4 days of rain, 6 cloudy days, and 21 sunny days. But I cut my AC usage by over 30 hours by tinting the windows in the front of my house that face east.
View attachment 193429

Wow...since I have the same thermostat here's my YTD. Similar cooling but I had to heat way more.

 

[vavavroom]

Dumb. The dumber the better.

 

[Delta]

Just a couple digital "dumb" thermostats. Two zone oil heat with a mess of wiring to make it work rather than proper dual recirulators and Taco control panel.

 

[Aredeeem]

Ugh, have no need for a programmable thermostat. I HAVE one cause it came with my new Lennox set up but I never use it. Someone is always home now so what’s the point? If I’m cold I turn it up, if it’s too warm I turn it down. Couldn’t care less about the cost of natural gas or how thick my insulation is. I’m 73 and have worked and invested hard enough that I can afford to not have my thermostat call me on the phone. Don’t fear getting older, just prepare for it and enjoy it.

 

[John105]

Smart, but only because it came with the new HVAC.

It was the very first smart device in our household.

What I've learned with IoT, is that often the failure and problems pertain to the programming at the far end.

For example, one night, all my smart lights and switches disappeared. I thought I had done something, until, I realized they would reappear, then disappear again. And being consumer grade, no info online, no support, etc.

Over Thanksgiving, I added Blink cameras. Have had the same IoT experience....

The smart thermometer is ok as far as seeing historical usage. But it's not that smart either...

 

[bbhero]

This topic makes me think of this…

 

[John105]

I would kind of like to have a smart thermostat, I believe I need to rewire to get a power wire included. Main reason is if away from home I'd like to be alerted if the furnace conked out so I canake some arrangements to get things going again before the pipes freeze.

It’s a dual edged sword. Last Dec with that freeze < 10F, I did just that, was checking.

A few times it was completely offline, giving me worry/grief. I’d be happy once I saw it back online. Again, nothing wrong with my internet. It’s at their end.

To be clear, thermostat is on guest wifi and then goes to cloud. So even though device was connected to the internet, whatever backend there is, was offline: has happened many times. Again, this is consumer grade. Seem same with Kasa and Blink. It is what it is there are many positives but it’s not 99.999% up like phones once were

 

[JWC86]

I’ve got 4 Emerson Sensei’s. I like being able to control from my phone and set schedules. They show you usage and send a monthly report via email.

Great for setting things back when traveling and then warming the house up from the airport with my phone.

I have the same and like them for the same reasons

 

[andrew_j]

Smart thermostat set to be “dumb” A Honeywell WiFi enabled one that is only used to turn up or down temp when we leave for vacation. The challenge of dropping 5F is the recovery is 5 hrs typically on a winter day so I set at airport remotely.

I like the ability to read temp of home remotely when away.

 

[cb_13]

Dumb for the AC. Even dumber for the heat, since we have radiant heat with the dials in each room.

 

[4WD]

Ecobee