In a world full of smart devices, innovation has led to the creation of products that could potentially make your entire home as smart as your phone. One product that will surely be large part of that revolution is the connected thermostat. A connected thermostat is a smart device that uses WiFi to connect to your cellphone. Remarkably, it can set the temperature on its own so that you don’t have to. In general, connected thermostats can work on a learned schedule, or they can function based on a user’s proximity from the home.
An example of a thermostat that learns a consumer‘s daily schedule is the Nest Thermostat. This can be programmed by the user to follow a particular schedule. For example, if you usually leave for work at 7:30 a.m. during the winter, the device can lower the temperature to an efficient level at 7:30 each morning. If you usually return at 6 p.m., the thermostat can be taught to raise the temperature to a warm, comfortable level fifteen minutes before you arrive home every day.
By contrast, the Allure Energy EverSense Thermostat uses your location to control its temperature settings. It works with iOS and Android devices and contains weather apps and streaming music apps. Users can program the thermostat to change the temperature when they are located at a certain distance from their house. For example, during the winter, the device can lower the temperature when the last person to leave the house has traveled more than one mile away from the home. The user’s cellphone and the thermostat communicate via WiFi, so once the person’s phone passes a certain distance checkpoint, the thermostat can change the temperature instantly. Moreover, when the first person to return home passes a certain distance checkpoint (e.g. one mile away), the thermostat can immediately raise the temperature and start playing music so that he/she comes back to a warm environment and listen his/her favorite tunes.
Android users can also program the thermostat to automatically adjust when they are already in the house and will remain there for a substantial period of time. If you are working on a project all night, and you like working in a cool environment, you can place your Android phone on an “Awake Tag” that causes the thermostat to lower the temperature to the desired level. When you want to go to sleep, you can put the phone on a “Sleep Tag,” and the thermostat will raise the temperature to a comfortable level.
Installing the Allure Energy EverSense Thermostat is relatively simple too. Indeed, as shown in the following video, or as it is explained in the installation guide on the company's website, it is only a 4-step process:
1. Shut off the power to the HVAC system by flipping the appropriate switch in the circuit breaker box
2. Take out the cover of the old thermostat, and label the wires appropriately
3. Install the dock of the new thermostat, and connect the wires to the appropriate terminals. Place the Media Center on top of the dock.
4. Turn the HVAC system back on by flipping the appropriate switch in the circuit breaker box
For those who are looking to save money on energy bills, a connected thermostat could be a very useful investment. In fact, Nest’s website states, " an un-programmed thermostat can waste 20% of your heating and cooling bill".
