As the temperature starts to rise, many people flock to their nearest store to buy the best fan to help them cool down when the weather turns scorching. But, smart thermostats are actually one of the best things you can buy for indoor cooling.
When you think of the best smart thermostats, you probably think about how they heat your home to your preferred temperature, keeping you nice and toasty warm when it’s cold outside. While this is arguably the main attraction when it comes to people buying a smart thermostat, most models are also designed to cool your home which can be invaluable during heatwaves and sunny spells.
The way smart thermostats work is by monitoring and sensing your home’s temperature before sending a signal to your heating and cooling system to make changes according to a schedule. For example, if you like your house to be hotter than a furnace, your smart thermostat will have tracked this information by your usage and will adjust itself accordingly.
The same can be said for cooling. Whether you prefer your house to be icy cold or you want some heat relief during the summer, a smart thermostat can do this job for you easily. There are a couple of ways that your smart thermostat can keep you cool, from switching itself off to setting up temperature and timing schedules.
As your smart thermostat connects to your HVAC system (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), it keeps track of your home’s temperature and how it varies throughout the day. If a room in your house rises above a certain temperature, it will typically turn off your central heating so the house can return to a desired temperature. Smart thermostats can also do this if it senses that no one is in and will suspend heating or cooling until its occupants arrive home.
Additionally, if your smart thermostat is connected to your AC unit, it can control your air conditioning. For hot summer days, your smart thermostat will read the temperature in the room and switch on your AC if it gets too hot inside. Users can also customise the temperature in their home and make their own schedules so your thermostat during the summer is automatically much colder and at a lower temperature than normal.
Having a smart thermostat for indoor cooling is very effective, maybe even more so than fans. Contrary to popular belief, fans don’t actually emit cold air but rather circulate air around the room and draw heat away from you. Because of this, fans aren’t as cooling or powerful compared to AC and thermostats which are better and more equipped to cool entire rooms at a time.
For better indoor cooling, smart thermostats are more cost effective than AC units, incredibly versatile as you can use them all year round and they can help you save money on your energy bills. Using your smart thermostat for cooling can also help you save more compared to using it for heating, as according to SPB Heating, smart thermostat users can save an average of 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills.
The majority of smart thermostats on the market are designed for both heating and cooling purposes, including Google Nest, Tado and Hive models (see our Nest vs Hive vs Tado comparison guide for buying advice). For example, the Tado smart thermostat allows you to control your AC via the app and the Google Nest has Heat, Cool, Heat • Cool, Off and Eco modes which can be adjusted on the app or the thermostat’s touchscreen.
So, if you’re feeling the heat this summer, using your smart thermostat or investing in one can keep you cool and save you cash throughout the year. For more cooling advice, check out these 5 smart cooling devices you need around your home.
