My family is from Missouri – the “Show Me State”. I suppose that is why I never am convinced of anything a sales professional tells me without me being able to see it for myself. For example, I recently opened my electric bill and was overwhelmed by the rising energy costs. I was sure the electric company was at fault, while my partner suspected there was a leak in the house or the HVAC unit. To appease everyone, we made an appointment for an energy company to visit our home to show us how we can personally monitor our home’s energy daily, weekly, and monthly use. All I needed to have at the home was an Internet connection and a Wi-Fi password. The HVAC sales representative brought the rest. He installed a wireless device using the wires that were connected to the old thermostat. Now I can not only operate the thermostat from my phone or computer, but I can monitor the supply air sensor and my HVAC’s energy use from anywhere in the world. The system even sends me alerts to my phone when it is time to change filters, UV lights, update systems, and of course, annual preventative maintenance. I could even get an e-mail if the temperature in the house went above or below where I had it set. That may be more than necessary, but I can use the option later if I want. Now that I can see everything working as it should, I am satisfied that I have managed to keep my home energy costs down as far as I can.
The different types of thermostats