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CNET
29-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
When Homes Get Hot, Here's How Much Cash Smart Thermostats Can Save You
While the hottest days call for serious AC, cooling your home doesn't have to be an energy drain. Smart thermostats, in particular, can juggle your cooling schedule with energy-efficient automation. That leads to savings, but if you're going to drop a couple of hundred dollars on a thermostat, you're probably wondering just how much savings. Adina Roth, product lead for the Nest Learning Thermostat, told me, "Some of my favorite features that I notice improve savings are the automatic adjustments with Smart Schedule, Auto-Eco energy-saving shifts and Seasonal Savings." Nest isn't the only thermostat that has these features, either. Smart models from Ecobee, Honeywell Home, Amazon and others have similar modes. I've charted the expenses myself and compared them with what the research says. The results are promising, especially when it comes to smart thermostats paying for themselves. Here are the numbers you should know. Read more: Renters Can Buy Smart Thermostats Too, But They May Want to Hurry How smart thermostats save money Thermostat sensors can go anywhere to monitor specific temperatures. Google Nest Smart thermostat savings come in two parts. First, you save money by implementing heating and cooling settings that lower the house's energy usage. Technically, you can do this with any thermostat, but smart thermostats make it especially easy with their eco modes and suggestions, which means the average user typically starts saving more money when they adopt a smart thermostat. The second part of savings involves more unique smart thermostat capabilities, such as learning algorithms and portable wireless sensors. Learning capabilities on today's smart thermostats can collect data on when activities start and end in the house, and then start making programming adjustments themselves based on when people get up in the morning, when they arrive home, how their activities change over the weekend, and so on. Added together, that usually leads to more accurate implementation of eco modes and lowered settings that save money. Set your thermostat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit or below when winter comes knocking. Tyler Lacoma/CNET Greg Fyke, president and CEO at Ecobee, explained a little more about how features like these save money with minimal effort. "For example, if you leave for work at 8 a.m., our smart thermostats can proactively lower the temperature while you are away to conserve energy and preheat or precool your home to ensure that your house is at your desired temperature when you return. This means lower utility bills and a more efficient home without sacrificing comfort." The wireless satellite sensors also help, as they allow smart thermostats to turn off heating/cooling not based on where the thermostat is, but where the sensor is placed. If that's an especially cool or warm spot (like a hot living room on movie night), the thermostat shuts down early enough to save more money. Average annual savings from a smart thermostat Nest's thermostat is pretty but the real advantage is the savings inside. Tyler Lacoma/CNET Combined, these features add up to notable savings. Google Nest's research, for instance, showed that users of the Nest Learning Thermostat saved an average of 12% to 15% per year without making other major changes. That works out to between $131 and $145 dollars annually, not too shabby for a single device upgrade. When I asked Ecobee, they reported that users could save up to 26% by installing one of their smart thermostats. That's a high-end example, but if it works out, people could save around $250 a year by making the switch -- especially if they haven't done much thermostat optimization before. Keep in mind, these numbers also work for renters who pay for their electricity. However, renters will probably need to get permission to install a smart thermostat. Paying off a smart thermostat Learning thermostats tend to pay for themselves. Google/CNET It's also important to consider the initial cost of a smart thermostat. Prices can range from around $100 for the cheapest models to more than $350 for top models with all the bells and whistles. The good news is that thanks to the average savings, almost every smart thermostat purchase will pay for itself within a year or two. Then your smart thermostat can really start saving you money. Participating in a peak usage program Smart displays can control compatible thermostats with a touch. Google Nest/CNET There's also another option to save even more money with a smart thermostat. When I talked to the nonprofit Energy Trust of Oregon, its spokesperson mentioned that users could go the extra mile and link a smart thermostat with programs called "Connected Savings" or similar names. These programs allow utility companies to make minor adjustments to your thermostat during peak use hours or special events to help save money and earn energy discounts. The problem is that you do have to give up some control, and you can't guarantee the utility companies won't make your house uncomfortable to live in (from what we and Reddit have seen, their decision-making can vary greatly). If you don't want to connect with utility companies directly, Ecobee offers an interesting alternative. It lets you connect with its Community Energy Savings program, which is very similar but basically takes care of the details for you. Ecobee reports you can earn up to $125 extra as a gift for participating in the program. What about rebates? Ecobee's Smart Thermostat Premium may be available with rebates in the right locations. Jon Reed/CNET We can't guarantee rebates or incentives to buy a smart thermostat, but it's a really good idea to look for them in your local programs. Many utility companies offer a rebate just for buying a smart thermostat, especially if it's Energy Star-rated (as many are). A number of power company websites will have a list of thermostat models that qualify, or more information about how to participate. On your way to saving money, stop by our guide to the easiest ways to save energy around the home, how smart plugs can help you save energy and quick spring tricks for device management.
CNET
17-06-2025
- CNET
Regular vs. Smart Thermostats: My Complete Guide for Newbies
Smart thermostats look pretty, but that's far from all they do. If you're thinking about switching to a smart thermostat that includes an app and other tech, you deserve to know what the big differences are -- and if it's really worth it to drop money on one. As Adina Roth, product lead for the Nest Learning Thermostat, says, "The most amazing part of a smart thermostat is the ability to keep your home at a comfortable temperature and balance energy usage. Upon device and permissions set-up, Nest Learning Thermostat can automatically leverage things like outside weather and times when no one is home to respond accurately and efficiently to your home's individual needs." I'm going over the big differences between the standard thermostat you have now and what you'll get if you upgrade to a smart thermostat. Yes, the savings are real, but that's only part of the story. Scheduled heating and cooling Thermostats like Ecobee's allow for easier scheduling from a distance. Ecobee Both smart and traditional thermostats have programmable settings, letting you set temperature thresholds for specific hours and specific days of the week, and changing them as seasons change. The biggest difference is that smart thermostats make this much easier. With old programmable thermostats, you're mostly stuck doing programming with the thermostats' manual controls. Smart thermostats allow you to set schedules from the app, no matter where you are, and you can usually save and switch between schedules on the fly, making the process significantly smoother. Read more: Don't Put Your Thermostat In These Places Costs You can find a standard programmable thermostat without any bells and whistles for under $20 from brands like Honeywell Home (although those with fancy touchscreens will cost more), so they're an easy way to save money if you need a replacement. Smart thermostats, with all their added features, cost significantly more. Amazon has one of the cheapest for under $100, but for something like Nest's 4th-gen Learning Thermostat, you'll have to pay close to $300. If you're worried about initial costs, regular thermostats cost a whole lot less than smart thermostats. Honeywell Home Energy savings Programmable thermostats will save you money, as long as you stay within strict temperature settings at certain times of day and night. Smart thermostats don't necessarily save more, but they make saving money so much easier that houses tend to save more as a result, since very few users have time to constantly adjust a standard thermostat for maximum savings. With settings like eco modes and monthly reports on energy savings, smart thermostats tend to save the average household significant amounts of money. Google Nest studies have estimated the average user saves around 15% on energy bills annually, while Ecobee says users can save up to 26% at the high end. That's easily enough to cover the initial costs of a smart thermostat in a year or two. Some smart thermostats are very pretty, but its their control options that matter. Google Nest Remote operation A regular thermostat doesn't have app connections and will, at most, have a remote control you can use from across the house. Smart thermostats, meanwhile, have Wi-Fi connections and apps. That means that as long as you have your phone and a connection, you can make thermostat changes. For some people, this is an important feature -- they can adjust the temperature while on vacation or if they forget while away from home. Others are fine making changes only when they're at home. Automatic learning and adjusting A regular thermostat will heat or cool your home exactly when and how you tell it to. So will a smart thermostat -- unless you enable its smarter features. Smart thermostats include learning algorithms and sensors that study activity in the house, like when people get up in the morning and start moving around. With basic data like this, smart thermostats can start making adjustments about when to raise the heat or start cooling off, and when to hold back because there's no one at home. Essentially, they can schedule themselves and respond to significant changes in habits. Also, many new smart thermostats come with satellite sensors that you can place in specific rooms that traditional thermostats may not be able to "read" very well, increasing their temp-sensing accuracy. Ecobee's thermostat with its sensor. Ecobee Energy savings Programmable thermostats will save you money, as long as you stay within strict temperature settings at certain times of day and night. Smart thermostats don't necessarily save more, but they make saving money so much easier that houses tend to save more as a result, since very few users have time to constantly adjust a standard thermostat for maximum savings. With settings like eco modes and monthly reports on energy savings, smart thermostats tend to save the average household significant amounts of money. Google Nest studies have estimated the average user saves around 15% on energy bills annually, while Ecobee says users can save up to 26% at the high end. That's easily enough to cover the initial costs of a smart thermostat in a year or two. Installation Both smart and standard thermostats are installed the same way -- by connecting various wires to the thermostat's base plate. Both offer professional installation services as well, so there's not much difference here. The biggest difference is that smart thermostats won't work as well with every home system. For example, smart thermostats won't make a huge difference if you use radiant floor heating as your primary heat source (it's slower to respond and doesn't affect thermostat sensors the same way), so you may as well save money with a simpler thermostat. Thermostat sensors can go anywhere to monitor specific temperatures. Google Nest Connections to other devices Smart thermostats can often connect to other smart home technology, including security hubs and customized triggers, through platforms like IFTTT or Controller for HomeKit. Since smart thermostats tend to have extra sensors for humidity or air quality, they can trigger things like air purifiers, fans, dehumidifiers and more. Some smart thermostats even come with built-in voice assistants, while most at least support voice assistant control through Alexa, Google's voice assistant and more. Regular thermostats don't have any of these connections, so you can't usually connect them to home routines or set temperature triggers for other devices. Many smart thermostats can work with voice assistants too. Ecobee Bottom line Smart thermostats make saving money much easier than regular thermostats and come with plenty of extra bells and whistles, including opportunities to connect them to voice assistants and other smart home devices. They're also sleek, smart devices that display personalized info about your home and weather, while learning your habits and automatically adjusting heating or cooling -- no micromanagement needed. Plus, unlike regular thermostats, you can control them from anywhere. In return, the big drawback of smart thermostats is that they cost a whole lot more than a regular thermostat replacement would, although they do tend to pay for themselves within a year or two. However, not everyone is comfortable using an app for scheduling or letting a smart thermostat make changes itself, so some users may find themselves uncomfortable with the change. Ready to learn even more? See our guide on the best settings to use on your smart thermostat for the season, the easiest steps to save on heating and cooling bills, and the best smart home devices overall.
