I thought those 'smart' thermostats were just a gimmick until my power bill dropped.

My wife insisted we get one last fall, and I grumbled about the $250 price tag for something our old dial did fine. After the first full month, our heating cost was down by almost 40 dollars compared to the same time last year, just from it learning our schedule and turning down when we're out. Has anyone else had a piece of tech they were sure was pointless that actually paid off?

2 comments

2 Comments

knight.mason6d ago

Honestly the comfort factor gets overlooked. Waking up to a warm house because it kicked on before your alarm, or coming home to a cooled down place on a hot day without having to remember to adjust it. That's not just about money, it's about removing a daily annoyance. The old dial worked, but you had to think about it. This just does the boring thinking for you, and that mental load off is worth something too.

wendys166d ago

Forty dollars is nice, but spread that over a year and it's what, maybe a couple hundred? It took you six months just to break even on the thing. I'm glad it's working, but for me that's not a game changer. It feels like we're sold this idea that every little gadget needs to be "smart" now. My old thermostat works fine and didn't cost me a quarter of my paycheck up front.