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Making the Most of Your Smart Thermostat

Jeff Vance • March 26, 2025

SMART Ideas for Your Thermostat

A Smart Thermostat is a terrific tool to help your home conserve energy and maximize comfort for your family.  Like any tool though, it needs to be programmed and utilized in a way that maximizes its efficacy.  Read below for a list of simple ways to be SMART with your programmable thermostat! 

Graphic that displays the be SMART acronym for smart thermostats. Details in article.

S - Set a Schedule

Modern thermostats are easily customizable, which means you can optimize your heating and cooling schedule so that your family is comfortable during the times of day when they are most likely to be home.  You can set a target temperature for different times of day, maximizing energy savings while you are away, and ensuring comfort while you are at home. According to the Department of Energy, the average homeowner can save up to 10 percent a year on energy costs simply by turning their thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees eight hours a day.

Consider other factors, such as times your family will be asleep or in different areas of the home, to further personalize your climate control schedule.  Our Gwyn HVAC experts recommend that you set your thermostat routine to start 20 minutes before you anticipate needing the change. 



M - Minimize Temperature Changes

While creating routines to auto adjust the temperature in your home can save a lot on energy costs, regular swings of more than 4-6 degrees can actually consume more energy and put undue stress on your HVAC system.  It is remarkable the difference that just a few degrees can make in a home environment. 

Most modern thermostats also have "Home" and "Away" Mode.  Enabling away mode when you are traveling, or away from your home for several days, can allow your home's system to gradually adjust temperatures to a higher or lower standing temperature, which allows for energy savings when you are not at home to need peak performance. 


A - Adjust for Different Days

Modern thermostats not only have time adjustments for heating and cooling preferences, but also a weekly schedule!  You can create a 7 day schedule, a 5-2 schedule, or a 5-1-1 schedule to help optimize your family's weekly routine.  Smart thermostats also now can include geofencing features, where the system automatically senses when you are approaching the home via your mobile smart app, and can automatically launch the home climate preferences. 


R - Revisit Each Season

As the seasons change, so do your family's routines and activities.  It is a good practice to scroll through your thermostat's settings several times per year to ensure that they still reflect your comings and goings as a family.  Maximizing comfort in a stable schedule can help avoid the energy spikes from system adjustments during the extreme temperatures of the day and night. 


T - Take Advantage of Eco Features

Smart Thermostats have a host of features that can help inform you to your energy patterns and maximize efficiency!  They monitor system use and can provide customizable reports.  Many systems can also provide personalized tips to monitor consumption and suggest small adjustments that can save money.  Many systems also have an 'eco-mode' that can automatically sense changes in habits, optimize the schedule for your systems' vent fans, and even sync with other smart technology in your home. 


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