When it comes to home temperature control, the traditional thermostat has long given way to the smart, WiFi-enabled thermostat. One could even say that they are ‘hot’ and for many good reasons.
“I think the biggest thing that's on the forefront of everyone's mind right now when it comes to HVAC is efficiency,” said Carmal Huppie, co-owner of local furnace installer True North Heating and Cooling, a Lennox affiliate.
“We get efficiency primarily by the equipment that we choose, and then we can also get efficiency by the control that we choose. In other words, there are some pretty neat thermostats that have been coming out in the last few years. What I say by ‘neat’ is that they're looking sleeker than ever on the wall but more importantly, they've got features that are up-and-coming that people want to see.”
Thermostats like the iComfort S30 and E30 smart thermostat models have features that indicate when the homeowner is either at home or away, and it also knows when the homeowner is coming back. In both cases, it can adjust the temperature accordingly and automatically.
It also has another “really cool” feature where it communicates with the dealer in the event that it detects an abnormality that makes it deviate in any way from 100 per cent efficiency. Sometimes, the installer can even make adjustments to the furnace or air conditioner through the thermostat via WiFi.
“If that's not the case and we do have to come on site, it's giving us this prompt before the homeowner often even knows that there’s a problem.”
The S30, Huppie says, is “amazing.” That’s why True North includes it with the majority of its new furnace installs. These thermostats otherwise can range in price around $800 or $900 but often the company includes it for free.
“We want people to maximize and just absolutely be thrilled with their new stuff. You get some homeowners that are so excited to get their new furnace and a new thermostat that it becomes like the coolest thing that they want to show their friends.”
She explained that the majority of their clients have opted to go with this new technology because they see the vast benefits that override even the higher cost of a traditional thermostat.
“We just want them to have a superior thermostat because we feel like this furnace is going to last them for X amount of years and we have this technology. That communication factor, as well, it benefits us and them so sometimes we're giving it to them.”
She noted that these products could be installed to work with furnaces in older homes as long as the wiring is compatible. Some smart thermostats only work with specific brands of furnaces as well, which might be a precluding factor. That’s why it’s always important to go with a qualified installer who knows what works with what. Otherwise, you run the risk of “dumbing down the furnace,” she continued, because the thermostat has features that the furnace can’t handle.
“We tell them, ‘your control should be as new and reliable as your new equipment that it operates.' ”
