If you’re making this common smart thermostat mistake, you could be putting your device into overdrive and raising your energy bills immensely. And considering investing in a smart thermostat is a great way to save energy and money at the same time, this is definitely a mistake you’re going to want to rectify quickly.
The best smart thermostats (opens in new tab) do it all, keeping your home heated to perfection, giving you control over the temperature even when you’re away and helping you cut back on your energy consumption. But, if you’ve installed your thermostat in the wrong place, you can wave all of those benefits goodbye.
The majority of smart thermostats are incredibly simple to set-up, for example, the 5-star Tado Smart Thermostat (opens in new tab) can be easily installed without having to call in a professional. If you’re installing your device yourself, the brand will instruct you to install it in the most-used room of the house.
This is pretty common with all thermostats, whether they’re smart or not. The most-frequented room in your house will usually be the warmest room, and it’ll give you a more accurate reading and heat your home to the perfect temperature all year round. In a cold or lesser used room, it’ll read cooler temperatures and heat your home unnecessarily, and it will do the opposite if you put it in a room that’s always too hot.
Other things to keep in mind when installing a smart thermostat is that it should be placed at least 5 ft above the ground, due to heat rising and cooler air sinking, and it should be installed at least 1m away from an internet connection so it remains strong and stable.
With all this being said, you might be thinking how could I possibly install a smart thermostat wrong then?! Well, even after you’ve installed it in the right room and with the right measurements, it’s all down to which wall you put your smart thermostat on.
It’s vital that you install your smart thermostat on an interior wall, preferably one in the middle of your most-used room. Exterior walls are often much colder than interior, as they’re the ones closest to windows and doors. If you place a smart thermostat on an exterior wall, you’re most likely to get the cold or heat from the outside coming through the wall or hitting the thermostat. So, during the summer and winter, you’re getting inaccurate readings coming from the temperatures outside your home, which as a result will confuse and rack up your energy bills and usage.
Similarly, when you put your smart thermostat on an interior wall, it’s important to make sure it’s not near anything that emits heat, like a radiator, fireplace, TV, lamp or somewhere that gets exposed to sunlight. Near the centre of the room on an interior wall is the best place to put your smart thermostat, so it’s not heating or cooling your home when it doesn’t need to and when you don’t want it to.
While this might sound a little confusing, the company that you buy your smart thermostat from will send your device with instructions, and you can always get a professional to come in and install it in the perfect spot for you. As the cost of living crisis worsens, setting up your smart thermostat in the right place will definitely make a difference to your energy bill and monthly spend. For more details on this, check out these 3 ways my smart thermostat helps me beat the cost of living crisis (opens in new tab).
