[Shop-talk] Smart thermostat ?

[Doug Braun]

The way these save money is by simply  turning down the heat during the
times you don't want it,
like at night and when you are at work.

I think it is best to have one that is not too difficult to program.
Unfortunately most of them have ancient, cheap, ugly user interfaces.

Last year I got one of those cute Nest thermostats for the first floor of
our house.
It is certainly good-looking, and fairly easy to program from a web browser.
But its hyped auto-learn feature does not work so well, since it is
mounted in the living room, which is usually unoccupied (compared to
the den and kitchen).

I could have bought a second one for upstairs, but I did not feel like
spending another $200.
The one downstairs is sufficient to impress guests. :-)

But if you often leave your house for more than a day at a time, the
ability to remotely control the heat from a smartphone or PC would be
pretty handy.
Our house is almost always occupied, so I can take advantage of
that only a few times per year.

Doug


On Thu, Oct 30, 2014 at 2:10 PM, David Cole <dgcole01 at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> I'm looking to upgrade the thermostat in my new-to-me home.   They claim to
> reduce heating and cooling costs.
>
> What brands have the list members used with success?  Lots of different
> choices out there for programmable units .  7 day, 5-1-1, 5-2, wifi units,
> self learning, brands, etc.
>
> The Honeywell units seem to be common at the local big box stores.  Any
> good?
>
> For hvac I have a heat pump.  American Standard 4 Ton split unit
>
> Thanks
> David Cole
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