These Are The Best Thermostats For Your Home Heating And Cooling Needs
Don’t let your home get too cold or too hot with these picks for the best home thermostats.
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Over the past decade, homes have become smarter and smarter. Intercoms, automated lights, and now programmable heating and cooling systems are becoming standard equipment on new dwellings. One of the advantages of a programmable, or automated, thermostat is that they will save you money on your heating and cooling bill. You can program times, or even buy sensors that detect when to change the temperature, optimizing how your system runs. So, even if you aren’t purchasing a new home—or renting a new apartment—these picks for the best thermostats can be easily installed, replacing your out-of-date one, all while saving you money each month.
Honeywell 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat RTH2300B1038
If you’ve ever looked at your home’s thermostat, you’ve probably noticed the name Honeywell. Its 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat builds upon its line of successful, easy-to-use thermostats and adds a programmable functionality to them. The 5-2 Day unit lets you program four periods per day—wake up, leave for work, return from work, and overnight—for seven days of the week, giving you flexibility on a day-by-day basis. This thermostat works with central gas, oil, electric furnaces, central air conditioning units, and any combination of the ones listed. Setup is simple, with some stating that it took them under 10 minutes to swap. If you want programmability but don’t need the shiniest, latest tech, the Honeywell RTH2300 Programmable thermostat is what you need.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat T3007ES
Do you already have smart home products like Alexa or Google Home? The Nest thermostat from Google will work with these devices, allowing you to control the temperature with your voice. The Nest Learning Thermostat also learns the temperature you like and programs itself. Its Home/Away Assist feature saves you money by powering down your HVAC system when you’re not there. The Nest is Wi-Fi enabled so you can control your thermostat from essentially anywhere. The unit also works with 95 percent of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, including gas, electric, forced air, heat pump, radiant, oil, hot water, solar, and geothermal. If you like technology, automation, and want a more stylish option on your wall, then the Google Nest Learning Thermostat should be your purchase.
Ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat
The Ecobee3 Lite combines the simplicity of a basic home thermostat and makes it smart with smart home connectivity, the ability to adjust from anywhere, and local weather monitoring for heating and cooling adjustments. Just like other smart thermostats that monitor when you are home or away, the Ecobee3 Lite can save you on your monthly power bill by adjusting the temperature to not cool or heat an empty home. Ecobee’s HomeIQ takes this energy conservation one step further by giving you a monthly progress report and tips on how you can save more. The Ecobee is also simple to install, connecting to existing wires and its app has step-by-step instructions to aid you. If you aren’t as concerned with styling—or like a sleek black look more—and need to automate your home heating and cooling, then look for the Ecobee3 Lite.
