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Picking the right thermostat for your home in Michigan is especially important for better comfort during the winter. Our state’s cold winter temperatures and heavy snowfall can cause freezing indoor conditions if your thermostat doesn’t work correctly. Fortunately, there are several factors you can consider to ensure you pick the most suitable model for your home.
Compatibility With the HVAC System
Compatibility with your HVAC system is the first thing to think about when choosing a thermostat. Homes in Michigan use a variety of heating sources, ranging from furnaces to heat pumps to radiant heating. Thermostats designed for furnaces may not work with heat pumps. Models designed for radiant heating systems may not work with a furnace and vice versa. Many dual-fuel and multi-stage heating systems require certain thermostat types to achieve optimal performance. Checking a thermostat’s label and specs is the easiest way to see its compatibility information.
Programmable Features
A programmable thermostat lets you design heating schedules based on your daily routine. This feature is key to ensuring the home is warm when you’re there but also lets you save energy when you’re away. You can even program the thermostat to lower the temperature when you’re sleeping and to raise it before you wake up. This type of programmable heating provides major savings on heating costs. It also reduces wear and tear on the HVAC by keeping the home at a lower temperature during unoccupied hours or periods of inactivity. Many of today’s more modern programmable thermostats even come with the ability to set multiple daily heating schedules; this type of programming is advantageous for homes with varying routines.
Zoning Capabilities
A thermostat with zoning capabilities lets you set different temperatures for different areas throughout the home, provided you have the matching equipment. This type of heating is really beneficial for houses with rooms that lose heat faster than others. It also works well for homes with multiple stories, where temperature differences tend to be more noticeable. Instead of there being hot and cold spots, a zoning thermostat ensures each zone receives customized heating for improved comfort. Zoning also helps save energy and lower energy bills by heating only the spaces that need it.
Wi-Fi Connectivity
You should choose a thermostat with Wi-Fi connectivity because it will let you control the temperature using your smartphone. Imagine that you are about to head home from a vacation. With a Wi-Fi thermostat, you can adjust the temperature from your phone an hour or two before you arrive; this ensures the house is warm and comfortable upon your arrival. Remote access is of the utmost benefit in several other scenarios too. Imagine you’re away on vacation and the temperature in Michigan unexpectedly dips below freezing. If the home doesn’t have adequate heating, the pipes might freeze and burst. With remote access, you can use your phone to adjust the heating to keep the pipes from freezing. You can even program the thermostat to send you notifications of dipping temperatures to ensure you never forget to take action.
Weather Adaptability
Weather-adaptive thermostats can adjust their settings in real-time based on local weather conditions. This takes the hassle out of having to manually adjust the temperature in response to Michigan’s fluctuating temperatures during the winter. On days when it’s sunny outside, the thermostat will lower the temperature and use natural light from the sun to heat the home. When it’s really cloudy, the thermostat will increase the temperature to ensure the home stays warm. The thermostat is able to do this thanks to its access to real-time weather data.
Easy-to-Use Interface
Today’s thermostats come with an array of features that can save energy and make a home more comfortable. However, using these features can be stressful if your device doesn’t have an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. This is why you should look for models that have user-friendly displays and a straightforward design. If you can’t make quick adjustments or program heating schedules with only a few clicks, it’s best to find a different thermostat.
Battery vs. Hardwired
Thermostats are usually powered by batteries or hardwired into a home’s electrical system. Thermostats that run on batteries are simple to set up and will keep working even if the power goes out. However, you’ll have to keep an eye on the batteries and change them every so often. A professional installation may be necessary for hardwired thermostats, but they are more dependable. The best of both worlds is available in certain models thanks to backup battery choices.
Size of Home
The square footage of a home has a direct affect on choosing the best thermostat. Larger homes tend to experience a greater deal of uneven heating, meaning certain rooms will stay colder than others. Thermostats with sensors are great for these homes. They can detect cold spots and adjust the heating accordingly in those spaces. Some experts even recommend multiple thermostats for larger homes.
Learning Capabilities
Not all smart thermostats are the same. Some of them come with learning capabilities. These thermostats monitor your heating and cooling habits over time and then combine that information with your home’s climate to make automatic adjustments. The aim is to keep your home comfortable all day every day so you don’t need to manually change things.
Humidity Control
If you’ve ever noticed the air in your home becoming dry during the winter, a thermostat with humidity control can help. You can even pair the thermostat with a whole-home humidifier that connects to the HVAC. When the humidity drops to a certain level, the thermostat will alert the humidifier to disperse moisture into the air via the heating system. Having control over the humidity is imperative to preventing issues like dry skin and respiratory irritation. It can also reduce static electricity and minimize wear and tear on the furnace.
Predictive Maintenance Features
Thermostats that offer predictive maintenance alerts can identify potential issues before they become major problems. They use advanced sensors and algorithms to monitor various aspects of the heating system, including airflow, temperature consistency and system runtime. Any time they detect an anomaly, an alert will appear on the display panel. You’ll receive an alert on your smartphone as well. This proactive approach to maintenance keeps the heater running efficiently at all times. Some of the different alerts they send include ones for clogged filters, malfunctioning fan motors and failing sensors.
Voice Control
Voice-controlled thermostats enable effortless adjustment of temperature settings through spoken commands. Michigan homeowners benefit from this feature because it enables hands-free control of the thermostat during hectic winter weather. Many newer smart thermostat models support voice commands through integration with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri. With this feature, you can say, “Set the temperature to 72 degrees,” and the thermostat will instantly make the adjustment.
Ease of Installation
Many basic thermostat models provide user-friendly installation instructions that make them suitable for DIY projects. Thermostats that feature smart capabilities or need to integrate with complex HVAC systems typically require professional installation.
Service Professor is a leading provider of thermostat installation, repairs and maintenance in Kalamazoo, MI. We also specialize in HVAC and ductless services, basement leak repairs, drain cleaning, electrical work and more. Contact Service Professor now to book expert thermostat services for your home in Kalamazoo.
