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Maintain The Temperature Your Home Needs With The Best Thermostat

  1. Nest Learning Thermostat
  2. TRANE 14942771 Z-Wave, Works with Alexa Thermostat
  3. Emerson Sensi Touch Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
  4. ecobee Smart Thermostat
  5. SASWELL Alpha Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
  6. Honeywell Home RTH7560E 7-Day Flexible Programmable Thermostat
  7. Honeywell RTH7600D Touchscreen 7-Day Programmable Thermostat
  8. Lux Products TX9000TS Touch Screen 7 Day Programmable Thermostat
  9. Carrier’s Edge Programmable Thermostat
  10. Buyer's Guide

The way you use your thermostat directly effects the amount of money you spend on energy, so choosing the right thermostat to control your heating and cooling system can save you up to 33 percent on your heating and cooling cost, placing that money right back into your wallet. A thermostat you can manually program to fit your family’s schedule saves energy, and you no longer have to remember to adjust the temperature before you leave home, and should you chose a Wi-Fi thermostat, you can make those adjustments on the go. Whether you choose a WI-Fi or manually programmable thermostat, these list of the best thermostats in 2022 give you all the information you need to make the best decision for your home and lifestyle.

The Best Thermostat Compared

Nest Learning Thermostat - Best Thermostat Overall

The Nest Learning Thermostat begins to self-program once you connect it to your heating and cooling system and make the first manual adjustment to the thermostat’s exterior ring. The Nest operates like most traditional thermostats, but with one exception, it has the ability to track, take note and remember each temperature adjustment made during each day. After a week, the Nest is adjusting the thermostat on its own, based on the previous week’s adjustments. The Nest doesn’t stop there; it continues to learn as the climate in your area changes. This self-programming thermostat can sense when your home is unoccupied and automatically adjusts itself to the “Auto Away” mode after about two hours to save as much energy as possible. The Nest can even tell you which temperature setting saves the most money by displaying a green leaf on the face of the thermostat. Connect to the Nest thermostat through Wi-Fi and an internet connection in order to monitor and adjust the temperature from your car, work or across the continent. Stay connected to your Nest Learning Thermostat through your internet Nest account to monitor how much energy you use, and with the Nest’s ability to monitor current weather conditions, learn how those conditions affect the way you use your heating and cooling systems. The Nest Learning Thermostat automatically downloads any software updates as long as it remains connected to Wi-Fi, keeping your Nest’s internal programs current. The Nest comes with everything you need to replace your current thermostat and a 5-year limited warranty.

TRANE 14942771 Z-Wave, Works with Alexa Thermostat - Runner Up

The ComfortLink Smart Control Programmable Thermostat by Trane connects to virtually any home heating and air conditioning system with the exception of baseboard heaters. This 7-day programmable thermostat does more than just adjust the temperature in your home when scheduled; it creates a history of energy usage, so you can make adjustments to your usage to save more on your energy bills. The thermostat boasts a 7-inch touch screen that turns into a digital picture frame, displaying your favorite pictures when the thermostat display is not needed. The ComfortLink Smart Control thermostat works in conjunction with Nexia Home Intelligence and Wi-Fi to let you control your home’s temperature from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access through a computer, tablet or a compatible smart phone. You can even adjust the thermostat while on your way home to ensure your home is the perfect temperature when you arrive. Not only does the thermostat adjust the temperature in your home as programmed, it even provides you with the 5-day weather forecast and live weather updates as long as the thermostat remains connected to the internet through a Wi-Fi connection. The ComfortLink thermostat has a 5-year limited warranty, a 10-year limited warranty when you register your thermostat online, and gives you the option to purchase an extended transferable warranty.

Emerson Sensi Touch Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat - Honorable Mention

The Filtrete Wi-Fi Touch Screen Programmable Thermostat model 3M-50 is fully compatible with all heating and cooling systems, and once you have it installed, you can connect directly to your thermostat through Radio Control, the website designed for use with your Filtrete Wi-Fi programmable thermostat. Use your computer or smart phone to program the thermostat to coincide with your daily schedule and bypass programming the thermostat using the backlit touch screen. You can calibrate the Filtrete thermostat to another thermostat installed in your home to ensure both temperature readings match for optimal performance and energy savings. Use the Wi-Fi connection to monitor your thermostat over the internet and make any changes necessary to instantaneously, and help save up to 33 percent on your energy bills. The Filtrete Wi-Fi Touch Screen Programmable thermostat offers a lock-out feature to keep unauthorized changes in your thermostat programming, a 5-year limited warranty and year round technical support for any issues that could arise when programming your thermostat.

ecobee Smart Thermostat - Consider

The Ecobee Internet Enabled Smart Thermostat model EB-STAT-02 features a full-color, easy to use touch screen that makes programming your heating and cooling system a breeze. Ecobee’s on screen programming wizard asks you a series of questions that lets you quickly program the thermostat to match your current schedule. Connect the Smart Thermostat to the Internet through a Wi-Fi connection to access the Ecobee website that allows you to setup and monitor your thermostat for free. Additional downloadable applications are available for your smart phone or tablet, so you can control your thermostat from anywhere in the world. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat uses intelligent algorithms to monitor changes made to your thermostat, along with monitoring the current weather conditions to begin to make adjustments to your programming based on your system’s history. The thermostat displays the current date and time, and as long as it remains connected to the Internet through Wi-Fi, the current weather conditions and the weather forecast, so you know how to dress before you leave the house. The website also features a reports tool that tracks and monitors the energy used by your heating and cooling system, as well as saves your system’s history. The Ecobee Internet Enabled Smart Thermostat helps you reduce the amount of energy you consume and comes with a 3-year limited warranty.

SASWELL Alpha Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat - Best WiFi Thermostat

Install the LockState LS-90i Internet Thermostat on practically any heating and cooling system and begin taking control of your energy costs. The LockState thermostat uses a Wi-Fi card to connect to the Internet through a wireless router and allows you to access the LockState Connect website to program and control your thermostat for free through any computer, smart phone or tablet. Although you can program the LS-90i thermostat from its touch screen, using the “Set Device” screen on the website allows you to set all seven days quickly and easily. Plug in your kilowatt hour cost on the website and the thermostat to track your estimated energy costs for your heating and cooling system. If your energy provider uses a “Smart Meter” to track your kilowatt hour usage, you can track your home’s total energy cost right on the thermostat’s display screen. Set any of the 12 alerts or two alarms on the thermostat and it will email you or your technician a notification when a change in the system triggers one of the alarms, or when the system needs servicing. The thermostat tracks the actual temperature inside your home, your targeted heat setting, your targeted cool setting, and the outside temperature. It uses this information to create a graph showing how close you are to your targeted setting and how the outside temperature could affect these settings. The information on the graph helps you make intelligent changes to your heating and cooling systems to continue to save money.

Honeywell Home RTH7560E 7-Day Flexible Programmable Thermostat - Best Thermostat

Hunter’s Universal 7-Day Programmable Thermostat Model 44905 works with nearly all heating and cooling systems and its truly 5-minute installation will have you saving money on your energy bill almost instantaneously. Once you install the Hunter thermostat, you simply unsnap it from its wall mount and program it from the comfort of your couch rather than stand in front of it like you would most other programmable thermostats. In fact, the thermostat takes 25 percent less time to program all seven days than most programmable thermostats, and with its one touch “Save Away” and “Home Today” buttons; you can quickly override the system to operate according to away or home programming without any further adjustments. The display also features an “Energy Savings” bar to help you find the most beneficial temperature settings to help save money. Other programmable features of the Hunter thermostat include notifications as to when it is time to change the filter, a lock-out passcode, and a low battery warning. Hunter offers a 1-year limited warranty on its programmable thermostat.

Honeywell RTH7600D Touchscreen 7-Day Programmable Thermostat - Best Thermostat

The Honeywell 7-Day Programmable Thermostat model RTH7600D installs quickly and its user friendly programming will have you saving money in no time. The Honeywell thermostat provides four different programmable settings for each day of the week, letting you customize each day to coincide with your schedule. This helps keep your home at a comfortable temperature when you need it and save you money by raising or lowing the temperature when you don’t. The RTH7600D has a backlit touch screen display, making it easy to read, even in the dark. Honeywell’s Smart Response Technology allows the thermostat to make adjustments on its own to ensure it meets your heating and cooling needs, and the temperature is correct when you arrive home. The Honeywell 7-Day Programmable Thermostat changes from heating to cooling automatically, tells you when to change your filter, maintains your programmed settings even if you lose power, recognizes daylight savings time and comes with a one-year limited warranty.

Lux Products TX9000TS Touch Screen 7 Day Programmable Thermostat - Best Thermostat

The Lux Touchscreen 7-Day Programmable Thermostat model TX9000TS is easy to use, easy to understand, and the large, well-lit screen makes it easy to read. The thermostat’s simple, straight forward installation instructions will let even the most mechanically challenged connect the unit to their heating and cooling system. Not only does the Lux Touchscreen thermostat let you program a different thermostat setting each day, it has an energy usage monitor that records the amount of time your system runs each day. It also features a filter life monitor, an adjustable vacation hold, a minimum run time and a manual temperature hold that keeps the system running until you turn it off. It also comes with a system lock-out to keep unauthorized users from changing your programming, and a 3-year limited warranty. Installing a Lux Touchscreen 7-Day Programmable Thermostat can save you up to 33 percent on your summer cooling and winter heating bills.

Carrier’s Edge Programmable Thermostat

Carrier’s Edge Programmable Thermostat - Best Thermostat

The Edge Programmable Thermostat by Carrier not only allows you to assign a different heating or cooling program to each day like other programmable thermostats, but it allows you to program it though your personal computer or laptop using Carrier’s patented ExP memory card and expansion port. This unit is compatible with most two-stage heat pumps and air conditioning units, and it easily replaces your current thermostat. Should your heating and cooling system include a UV lamp to kill germs and bacteria, or include a whole house humidifier, the Edge will monitor your lamp, replacement humidifier pad and the return filter. The Edge offers optional remote room sensors to monitor the temperature in every room of your house, and even displays the time and the outside temperature. The Edge features a changeable faceplate to match you decor, and a 10-year limited warranty.

Buyer's Guide

Thermostats are essential to maintain perfect temperature control of your installed HVAC system. They help you instantly regulate the temperature of your home and are programmable to your specific settings.

You should exercise a great deal of patience and consideration when choosing a thermostat. The best thermostats can last as long as your HVAC system, and investing in one is a bigger deal than most realize.

Luckily, in this section of the post, we’ll be going over various factors, considerations, and questions you might have about choosing a thermostat for your home.

What are the Different Types of Thermostats?

There are three major types of thermostats you can purchase on the market. These three types come with unique advantages and disadvantages that can impact your experience with them. It also affects their upfront cost, ease of use, as well as other factors.

Non-Programmable Thermostats

These are the most common thermostat you will find on the open market. As the name implies, they are non-adjustable, which means you have to set their temperatures manually. Each time you want to increase or decrease in temperature, you have to adjust them by hand.

Most non-programmable thermostats do not come with added features and benefits that make adjustments or use easier. However, a few of them do come with digital displays which immediately show temperature changes.

The biggest advantage of choosing a non-programmable thermostat is that it is cheaper than the other types of thermostats.

Programmable Thermostats

Programmable Thermostats are thermostats that can automatically change temperatures according to your preset instructions and settings. They are fairly easy to control and will automatically shift temperature at different times in the day. They can take as many as two to five commands, and you don't have to program them every day. Temperature presets could last weeks, if not months if you so wished.

Like non-programmable thermostats, they are also cheap and will last you years if your HVAC runs that long.

Smart/ WiFi Thermostats

They are a natural evolution from the programmable thermostat, and they are the most dynamic and useful of the three types. They are considerably more expensive than their counterparts and allow you to control the thermostat through the home WiFi. You can set temperature presets, remotely change your home temperature automatically switch on and off your heating systems, and so much more.

Smart Thermostats also come with dozens of smart features like voice commands and are also compatible with voice assistants like Alexa, etc.

What Factors Do I Need to Consider When Picking a Thermostat?

Aside from choosing what type of thermostat you’d prefer to have in your home, there are other factors you should consider before making your final decision.

What type of HVAC system are you Using?

Most residential homes run a simple 24V low-voltage power system that operates on gas and runs a furnace, air conditioner, heat pumps, and boilers.

If you have a non-residential residence, you might have a 240V or 110 Volt high-power HVAC system that includes an electric furnace and an electric baseboard, or a Millivolt power HVAC. The type of thermostat you use will be determined by your HVAC system.

Staged Cooling and Heating

Without going too much into the history of things, there are three types of heating and cooling stages furnaces can operate at. They are:

Single-stages systems

They are the most common type of furnace heating and staging system. The furnace runs at 100% capacity when it's activated or in use.

Two-Stage systems

Two-stage systems can operate at 65% and 100% of their maximum capacity when in use. They are naturally more efficient, and economic during drastic internal temperature changes. They are produced by most major thermostats and HVAC manufacturers.

Variable-capacity systems

These types of furnaces can flexibly operate between 40% and 100% of their maximum capacity. They are the most energy-efficient of the three types of thermostats, and the most flexible.

Depending on what heating and cooling stage your HVAC system uses, you will need a thermostat that matches. There are single, two-stages, and variable thermostats available for all three types of HVACs. And your replacement thermostat must match your HVAC, and it's easy enough to tell the difference.

Find out what type of heating system your current HVAC uses, and if you can't, check the wiring of your thermostats. Single-stage thermostats have one W or W1 wiring for heating and Y or Y1 for cooling. Two stages have two W wires and 2 Y wires, while variable thermostats are built with four wires. One for heating, another for heating, and two wires for power and communication.

Power supply

Thermostats can either be powered with batteries or a power cable attached to your current HVAC. Whatever thermostat you choose should reflect this. Do some research into each thermostat's power supply before you settle on one.

Should you Opt for More Smart Features?

For most people, smart thermostats are the obvious and most flexible choice. In conjunction with basic temperature adjustment, you can opt for several additional features on a smart thermostat.

  • Weather forecast
  • Display screen
  • Geofencing

While all these features are great, they will not significantly impact your experience, and you should only get them if you feel they are important.

Do you need a Professional to Install your Thermostat?

Installing your thermostat should be easy enough to do without formal training. However, you're more than likely that you might run into some problems, especially if you're upgrading your current model.

You should be at no risk of an electric shock or so catastrophic furnace failure, and you can do it yourself if you are patient enough to figure it out. However, if you want to take no risks, hire a professional to do it for you.

Can I customize my thermostat?

Most manufacturers offer users a lot of customization options when they're choosing their thermostats. They can select what color, size, and material suits them best. They can also choose display color, or select what design styles they prefer best.

FAQs

Do I really need a smart thermostat?

No, you do not. Unless you have a very versatile lifestyle or very specific needs, you don't need a smart thermostat.

Can I install my thermostat myself?

Yes, you can. Though you will need basic electrical knowledge, and a general understanding of thermostats, and how they work.

How to tell if your thermostat is bad?

If your thermostat does not come on after being plugged into a power source or is unresponsive to your commands, then it might have a fault. If its digital display also malfunctions or stop working, it is also another sign that it is faulty.

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