One of the best decisions you can make when building your home is to add SMART technology. There are many cutting edge tech options to choose from; and with the help of Get Wired Now and Gerstad Builders, you are able to make SMART choices that fit your lifestyle.

Welcome to the fifth installment of the SMART Technology series – a blog series all about SMART home technology, and what it takes to get your new Gerstad Home up to date! Our most recent post focused on Smart Lights, and this week we are going to take a look at SMART Thermostats and all of their benefits to your quality of life, and your wallet!

A SMART Thermostat is a great addition to your new home. One of the main reasons that people consider adding one to their homes is that it can help you to control the temperature with just the touch of a button. You can be on vacation across the world, and your home temperature controls are just a tap away from your smartphone!

Another key selling point for most of our clients installing a SMART thermostat is the pure cost savings. More and more people are turning to technology to help them run their lives smarter, and companies like ComEd have taken note. They now offer homeowners rebates with the purchase of a qualifying thermostat from a list put together by Energy Star.

Smart thermostats are so energy efficient that the energy companies are giving rebates to home owners that install them. One of the biggest energy-wastes is heating / cooling a home when it is empty – but because smart thermostats learn your schedule, and “know” when you are home, the savings are substantial; and the energy companies pass that along to home owners in the form of rebates. However, some families do not take the time to set up the thermostat to maintain the temperature at certain levels because they are always coming and going; making it harder for them to figure out the best temperature to keep their home.

Gerstad Builders uses two of the thermostats on the list that makes homeowners eligible for rebates – Honeywell and Nest – thus passing on the savings to their homeowners. For example, Nest states that a homeowner can save roughly 15% on cooling costs and approximately 12% on heating, not to mention a rebate back from the electric company for having one installed!

Some brands of SMART thermostats have in-built motion sensors, and are capable of “learning” your family’s schedule, temperature preferences, and habits. With this new tech in place, it means you no longer spend time setting up schedules, monitoring the thermostat, or even having to manually lower it at night and raise it during the day! It is an effortless experience that only improves over time the more you are around it and use it. Imagine driving home from work on a cold day and you start to realize that you house will be cold as well. But then you have that “Ah-Ha” moment. You are able to open the thermostat app right from your smartphone, and adjust the temperature before anyone gets home. The SMART thermostat learns your schedules and preferences so well that it ends up running itself, and saving you money over time because of it.

This comes in handy while you are away for extended periods as well. Homeowners are able to manage the temperature by locking it to a specific degree-range, and receive alerts if the interior temp falls below or above the limits for any reason.

We have touched on some benefits to having a SMART Thermostat such as saving money, receiving rebates from ComEd and being about to control the thermostat right from your phone, and there is one more feature that definitely makes it worth having: A geofencing feature! Your thermostat can track your location using the GPS from your phone, and can adjust your home temperature based on your location. Not only does this feature provide optimal performance, but helps with saving energy and money as well.

Picture a virtual fence surrounding your home, and when you cross that imaginary line your thermostat knows you are home or away, and will automatically adjust to the preset temperature.

Stay tuned for the next post in the series when we will be discussing SMART Doorbells and Locks.

Gerstad Builders constructs a home that meets the needs of their homeowners. Contact us today to learn more about our many communities or call at (815) 385-4495.