The data shows how much smart thermostats can save on heating and cooling costs

Smart thermostats can help homeowners save on their heating and cooling costs, and thermostat manufacturers say they have receipts for these claims.

Past performance, however, is no guarantee of future results, and any home’s energy and utility bill savings will also depend on a number of other factors, including the overall energy efficiency of the HVAC system and own home, such as smart thermostat functions. are used, the temperature drops used and the outside climate.

The main energy-saving function of the smart thermostat is the same as its big cousin, the programmable: to automatically maintain lower heating temperatures in winter and higher cooling temperatures in summer, during times when the household does not need it. Complete comfort conditioning, such as when the occupants are asleep, out during the day or out on holiday.

But smart, connected thermostats offer a greater degree of control over HVAC systems. Some, for example, learn a home’s occupancy patterns, use sensors to prioritize comfort heating and cooling when and where they’re needed most, and enable “geofencing,” which can detect the location of smartphones of the occupants when they are on the way. home and crank up the HVAC system to make sure the place is comfortable when they get back.

“There is a significant amount of energy wasted in maintaining high levels of comfort when people are not at home,” said Michael Siemann, distinguished engineer at Resideo Technologies Inc. “The best features to combat this depend on the dynamics of the home: lock-in schedules are great for homes with consistent occupancy patterns, while geofencing is better when occupancy patterns are more dynamic “.

reside

Using one of Resideo’s Honeywell Home smart thermostats, Siemann said, the company recommends a high cooling temperature in the summer (82°F, for example) when no one is home.

“Our intelligent adaptive recovery can bring the home to comfortable levels before the customer gets home to notice,” he said.

A Resideo study in Indiana and Ohio, Siemann said, found that homeowners with Honeywell Home T5 and T6 thermostats who frequently used the scheduling features saved 8 percent to 16 percent on their energy costs. heating and cooling. The savings were calculated based on comparisons with the average annual U.S. heating and cooling expense for a single-family home, according to the company’s website.

Marissa Kocaman, product manager at Resideo, said the company offers the Resideo Academy training platform to help contractors “guide customers to better control their energy use and improve home comfort.” . The courses, taught by senior technical specialists, cover pre-installation site studies, installation, best practices and delivery of the system to customers, he said.

Resideo also has the Resideo Pro app, which connects contractors with their customers’ HVAC systems.

“The Resideo Pro app gives professionals the opportunity to automatically link their business to homes that serve to more effectively retain customers and make delivery to the owner fast and efficient with a configuration tool based on interviews,” Kocaman said.

Google Nest

GOOGLE: Google Nest, which just launched its fourth-generation Nest Learning thermostat, said users of its smart thermostats save an average of 12% on heating costs and 15% on cooling costs. (Courtesy of Google Nest)

Google Nest introduced its fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat in August. The new Nest Learning Thermostat includes the second-generation Nest temperature sensor to help manage hot and cold spots in the home and uses artificial intelligence (AI) features to more quickly and accurately develop a temperature program custom, the company said.

Independent studies found that using a Nest Learning Thermostat saved an average of 12% on heating costs and 15% on cooling costs, according to Kristin Bickett, Google’s head of Nest Enterprise Partnerships.

Nest thermostats have several features that help achieve these kinds of savings, Bickett said, including:

• Intelligent programming, which learns the temperatures occupants like and when they like them, and suggests adjustments to save energy.
• Natural heating and cooling, which uses information about the weather outside to naturally heat or cool the home as needed, when possible.
• An “adaptive eco” feature that adjusts the temperature to save energy when a home is unoccupied, then brings it back to a comfortable temperature in time for the occupants’ return. Enabling presence detection on smartphones in the home, using the Google Home app, enables this geofencing feature.
• Energy Shift, which automatically shifts greater energy use to times when energy is cheaper or generated from cleaner sources. Energy Shift works in conjunction with Nest Renew, a free membership-based service.

Ecobee

According to Karthiga Vezhavendan, users of the ecobee smart thermostat in North America can save up to 26% on energy costs related to heating and cooling. Estimates are based on comparisons with systems that maintain a consistent, commonly used setting of 72°F rather than the energy-saving temperature fluctuations that an ecobee thermostat can control.

ECOBEE: Users of ecobee smart thermostats can save up to 26% on heating and cooling costs, the company said. (Courtesy of Ecobee)

Savings can vary based on the efficiency and health of the HVAC system, the building’s windows and insulation, the weather outside, and many other variables.

“There will always be a variety of factors, but in general, putting a new ecobee into an existing HVAC system will help optimize savings compared to holding it at 72°F,” Vezhavendan said.

Vezhavendan said ecobee thermostat users should set schedules, using the comfort settings feature, to get the best results.

“It’s especially important to set schedules when you’re away,” she said.

Vezhavendan also encourages users to enable eco+, available with select ecobee models, a set of features designed to increase energy efficiency. These include a time-of-use feature, which pre-heats or pre-cools the home at times when electricity prices are lower (not available in all areas), and occupancy sensors, which tell the thermostat to adjust the temperature depending on whether there are people in the area. at home or not

Vezhavendan said ecobee has a wealth of resources for contractors installing its thermostats, including in-person and virtual training, videos, tutorials and a contractor support line.

“Our ecobee for Pro team is dedicated to supporting the professional channel,” he said. “We take pride in prioritizing the training and resources necessary for contractors to provide homeowners with the best possible experience.”

Copeland

COPELAND: Copeland Sensi smart thermostats can save users up to 23% on HVAC-related energy costs, the company said. The Sensi Touch 2, shown here, will give optimal efficiency when combined with a heat pump, the company said. (Courtesy of Copeland)

Copeland has two brands of thermostats: its traditional and programmable thermostats carry the White-Rodgers name, while the Sensi brand is attached to connected thermostats.

Users of Sensi thermostats can save an estimated 23% on HVAC-related energy costs by using features such as flexible scheduling, remote access and usage reporting, said Tom Lorenz , Copeland’s director of product management.

The estimated savings, Lorenz said, was calculated by taking a national sample of Sensi users who had made temperature adjustments or setbacks, averaging 4°F, and comparing those results to a sample of systems in which no ‘had caused mishaps.

“Savings vary based on type (and) equipment condition, insulation, climate and size (and) frequency of temperature adjustment,” Lorenz said.

Like others, Sensi-brand thermostats can include features such as time-of-use (also called demand response), scheduling, geofencing and sensors to monitor the weather outside, Lorenz said. Sensi thermostats can communicate with room sensors to prioritize heating or cooling in places where people are, he said.

The Sensi Touch 2 model, when used with a heat pump, will provide optimal savings, Lorenz said.

Copeland offers free online training on Sensi thermostats for contractors, as well as in-person training at participating dealer offices, Lorenz said.