Smart home technology is certainly everywhere you look nowadays. Many of us grew up in homes where there was one phone and one thermostat and, if you are of an older generation, you were likely permitted to touch neither. All that said, we now have smart assistants such as Google Home and the Amazon Echo in our homes that can add items to shopping lists and tell us who had the most home runs in 1968. The heating and cooling industry is keeping pace with this demand for smart stuff. And our techs are seeing more smart thermostats in homes now more than ever before. So, what’s the scoop?

Products such as the Nest smart home thermostat can run north of $200, which seems like a tough pill to swallow given that an “old school” model is about $30 off the shelf and some programmable models come in under $50. So, why are so many people investing in the new gear?

Smart thermostats can actually learn the behavior and patterns of the home and adjust heating and cooling settings accordingly. A smart thermostat may log when the home is occupied, unoccupied and reduce use based on data. With a traditional programmable model, the homeowner would program the unit, set it and forget it. It’s also been noted throughout the industry that most owners of programmable units have never programmed them to begin with (yikes!).

The bottom line is that when used to their potential, these products can save a homeowner significant money on heating and cooling bills. Some say, however, that for homeowners who have been diligent in their use of a programmable model, one may not see such a big change if you upgrade to a smart unit. If you have questions about which unit is best for your home, be sure to ask your HVAC professional today.