Thermostats
Adjust from anywhere, set limits so nobody cranks it to 80, and get a note when it changes.
Energy management
Stop heating an empty house
The same panel that watches your doors can adjust lights and thermostats remotely and on a schedule. It is the part of a smart-home system most likely to pay you back.
Four tools
How the savings happen
Lights
Turn off what the kids left on, and switch on a porch light before you get home.
Schedules
Heating and lights follow the week you actually live, not a single timer setting.
Activity patterns
Some systems learn when the house is usually empty and suggest schedules to match.
Security and savings work together
When the alarm is armed away, the system knows nobody is home. That is the moment to set back the heating or cooling and turn off the lights. When you disarm, it can bring them back. No separate schedule to maintain, and no paying to keep empty rooms comfortable.
Lights on a varied schedule also make an empty house look occupied, one of the oldest and cheapest deterrents there is. The safety tips page has more on not advertising your absence. For how these rules are built, see home automation.
Before you buy
Questions that decide the payback
Energy features are often sold with a promise of savings. The real figure depends on your house, your climate and how much the heating was wasting before. Be wary of any fixed monthly saving quoted before anyone has seen your bills.
Ask what the thermostat and light controls cost on top of monitoring, whether they need their own subscription, and whether they keep working locally if the internet drops. Then put those numbers next to the rest of the system costs.
Ask the installer
- Is my heating system compatible?
- Is energy control included or extra?
- Does it work if the internet is down?
- Can I still use the thermostat by hand?
- Are utility rebates available locally?
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