You’ve completed your list of pre-summer, energy-saving DIY projects: changing out incandescent to LED bulbs, caulking and weather stripping windows and doors, upgrading to smart power strips, adding ceiling fans, and servicing the air conditioning units and appliances. Is there anything you missed?
Thermostats control half of your home's energy use, and an often overlooked “cheap fix” is the installation of a programmable thermostat that you can adjust both while at home or out and about.
One of the most unique thermostats out there is the NEST, a thermostat that is designed to learn your cooling needs quickly. Yes, learn! After 7-10 days, the NEST has your personal temperature patterns memorized and will independently adjust the temperature based on these patterns. Even when you later manually adjust temperature settings, the software incorporates these changes, too.
The unobtrusive thermostat looks like a futuristic hockey puck in silver-beveled housing and mounts easily on the wall. It communicates visually by glowing ice blue when cooling and a warm orange shade when heating, so you never have to guess if it is working.
You can even change the temp settings or download your energy usage on your smart phone or laptop while sitting at the airport waiting to board your plane or waiting in line at the grocery store.
This particular thermostat is estimated to save a homeowner anywhere between 15-30% in energy costs over the course of 1-3 years, as compared to a standard wall-mounted thermostat, and is an attractive amenity to future buyers.
That being said, there are other brands of programmable thermostats with similar features, so you’ll want to do your research and find the one that best fits your personal needs.
Just when you thought artificial intelligence was something reserved for the future!
For more information about energy-efficient lifestyle changes, or any questions about our Arizona summers, contact your local Scottsdale real estate experts from The Matheson Team today.
