· Sensors and WiFi connectivity that address the drawbacks of programmable thermostats.
· They have an Internet connection, similar to a linked thermostat. From other internet-connected devices, such as a laptop or smartphones, customers may change the heating settings. This enables users to remotely regulate the thermostat.
· This simplicity of use is crucial to assuring energy savings since studies have shown that programmable thermostat homes consume more energy than those with basic thermostats due to erroneous programming or outright disablement by residents.
· Additionally, smart thermostats keep track of the temperatures inside and outside, how long the HVAC system has been working, and even send you an alert when it’s time to change your air filter. Usually, a gadget with an internet connection later displays this data.
Manual (Analogue) Thermostats
The earliest and most basic sort of thermostats are manual thermostats, commonly referred to as analog thermostats. Unless the user manually modifies the temperature, these thermostats are set to a single temperature.
Programmable Thermostats
Thermostats that allow the user to create a schedule for various temperatures at various times are known as “programmable thermostats,” and they were first made available in the 1970s. The hold option, which suspends the schedule and converts the thermostat to a manual thermostat, is another feature found on the majority of programmable thermostats. The purpose of the scheduling tool is to allow customers to conserve energy and money by setting a warmer or cooler temperature while the house is empty. Some building regulations and government initiatives started demanding the usage of programmable thermostats as a result of this presumed energy savings. Unfortunately, many programmable thermostats use more energy than a standard manual thermostat because of user mistakes when utilizing these gadgets.
Reducing the problems associated with using conventional programmable thermostats is one of the key goals of smart thermostats. It’s critical to comprehend the problems with programmable thermostats and how they impact energy usage to understand how smart thermostats approach this task. Florida Power & Light (FPL) installed programmable thermostats in 400 homes between 2008 and 2009 and kept track of their heating and cooling habits. The programming option was used by 56% of the 400 participants, but the remaining participants did not configure the thermostat and left it on “hold.” The users who made use of the programming function were found to utilize 12 percent more energy than the non-programmers. Due to scheduling confusion, greater nightly duty cycles with lower thermostat setpoints (i.e., lower temperature settings) led to an increase in consumption. This study shows that using programmable thermostats does not always result in energy savings. By removing the human from the equation and depending only on sensors and computers to conserve energy, the smart thermostat makes an effort to address this problem.
Another investigation into the matter revealed that those utilizing programmable thermostats posed the greatest challenge. Unquestionably, one of the most crucial elements in evaluating whether or not a programmed thermostat will be effective at conserving energy is the technology inside the device. The person operating the thermostat, though, is a component that is just as significant. Unfortunately, a lot of individuals who have programmable thermostats don’t know how to operate them or don’t take advantage of all of their functions. One research found that the great majority of programmable thermostat owners are not utilizing the thermostats for the stated purpose after conducting a variety of questionnaires, interviews, and observations. According to an online poll, 89% of respondents don’t use their programmable thermostat’s scheduling feature. Other findings from the surveys and interviews indicate that many consumers have false beliefs regarding the usage of programmable thermostats and heating/cooling systems. One common mistake is the idea that heating constantly is more effective than pre-programming the heat to switch off. Another myth identified in the study is the idea that lowering the thermostat does not significantly cut energy usage. These myths confirm the idea that even while programmable thermostats may include all required features, they will not be effective at conserving energy if the user does not utilize them or uses them improperly.
This research and similar ones caused energy star to stop labeling programmable thermostats in December 2009. By eliminating humans from the equation and developing a thermostat that employs smart computing to significantly cut energy use and costs, smart thermostats have emerged as a solution to these problems.
Smart Thermostats
Similar to programmable thermostats, smart thermostats provide a scheduling capability that enables users to set various temperatures at various times of the day. Smart thermostats use various technologies in addition to this one to lessen the chance of human mistakes when using programmable thermostats. Smart thermostats employ sensors to identify whether the house is occupied or not, and they can stop heating or cooling until the occupant returns. Smart thermostats also take advantage of Wi-Fi connectivity to allow the user constant access to the thermostat. Smart thermostats have been shown to be successful in saving consumers energy and money thanks to these different technologies.
History
The ecobee thermostat, which was created in 2007, marked the start of the development of the smart thermostat. Stuart Lombard, the creator of ecobee, wanted to conserve energy and lessen his family’s carbon imprint. Lombard bought a programmable thermostat to lower overall energy consumption after finding that heating and cooling accounted for most of his home’s energy use. Lombard found the programmable thermostat to be unreliable and difficult to operate right away. After experiencing issues with the programmed thermostat, he set out to develop a smart thermostat that was both energy-efficient and user-friendly. To provide consumers with a thermostat that saves energy by addressing the problems with programmable thermostats, the ecobee firm was founded with that objective in mind.
After the ecobee, EnergyHub introduced its smart thermostat in 2009 along with the EnergyHub Dashboard. Seth Frader-Thompson, a co-founder of EnergyHub, got the concept for the Dashboard from his Prius. The real-time gas mileage of the Prius was shown on displays on the car’s dashboard. According to Thompson, a home ought to have a similar feature. With that objective in mind, Thompson developed a thermostat that could communicate to a home’s furnace and appliances to assess the energy consumption, efficiency, and cost. In order to conserve energy and money, the thermostat also could switch off appliances or raise and reduce the temperature. The thermostat’s main objective was to show people how much energy they were using while also saving them money and energy.
Business logo for Nest Labs
The Nest Learning Thermostat’s designers
Nest Labs created the Nest Learning Thermostat in 2011.
The Nest Thermostat made an effort to consume less energy in homes by using improved technology to address the issues with programmable thermostats. The use of sensors, algorithms, machine learning, and cloud computing was all part of this new technology. These technologies adapt the temperature according to the occupants’ desires and behavior to keep them comfortable while they are at home and conserve energy when they are not. The Nest Thermostat also has a WiFi connection at home. This makes it possible for users to modify the temperature, schedule, and energy use from a smartphone or laptop. Nest aimed to develop a simple-to-use thermostat that would help consumers save money and energy.
Technology
· Programmable schedule And Auto-Schedule
The smart thermostat’s programmable scheduling capability is comparable to that of conventional programmable thermostats. Users can set up a personalized plan to use less energy while they are gone from the house. The manual creation of a schedule, however, may use more energy than just maintaining a predetermined thermostat setting, according to studies. Smart thermostats also offer an auto-scheduling capability to help prevent this issue. To establish a schedule that results in occupant comfort and energy savings, this function uses algorithms and pattern recognition. The thermostat will keep track of occupant activity after generating a schedule in order to modify the auto-schedule. Intelligent thermostats may produce intelligent schedules that save energy by eliminating human mistakes in the scheduling process.
The smart thermostat uses a sensor that can detect occupancy patterns to modify the temperature automatically depending on occupant patterns and behaviors to reduce the problems with human error associated with programmable thermostats. Particularly the Nest Learning Thermostat employs internal passive infrared (PIR) motion sensors to detect occupancy around the thermostat. This sensor lets the thermostat know if the house is occupied or not. If the house is unoccupied, the thermostat can turn off the heating and cooling until a resident activates the sensor again. This sensor is also used to generate an automatic timetable by analyzing occupancy trends. To visibly hide and safeguard the PIR motion sensor inside the thermostat, a grille item is positioned in front of the sensor. The grille also contributes to the aesthetic appeal of the thermostat. Although this sensor technology is crucial for energy conservation, it has drawbacks. The sensor must be engaged by someone passing in front of or close to the thermostat, which is one of the main problems. An occupant can be at home but fail to walk in front of the sensor. The thermostat would turn off the heating and cooling in this situation, reducing human comfortability.
· Internet Accessibility
The capability of smart thermostats to connect to the internet is another important feature. Smart thermostats are built with a WiFi module that enables the device to connect to the user’s home or business office’s network and communicate with a web portal or smartphone application, enabling remote control of the thermostat. A report on energy use and HVAC system performance may also be sent via the web portal using the WiFi capability, telling the user of their energy efficiency and how it stacks up against that of other smart thermostat users. Additionally, it notifies users when maintenance needs to be done on equipment or when a problem with their HVAC system occurs. The weather forecast and current conditions are also shown by the thermostat through WiFi.
Geofencing is an additional capability that certain smart thermostats have through an internet connection. A geofence is a border set up around a smartphone or other device’s location using GPS signals. The advantage of having a geofencing smart thermostat is that it can utilize the user’s smartphone location to assess if the house is occupied. The smart thermostat may use the position of the geofence to notify the HVAC system whether it needs to be on or off rather than utilizing a schedule or sensor to assess occupancy. Since most individuals always have their phones on them, geofencing can provide precise information on occupancy trends.
Some smart thermostats, like the Nest model, can determine if a house is likely to be occupied or unoccupied. To ensure that the temperature is comfortable when a resident arrives, this enables automated pre-heating or pre-cooling. These smart thermostats will gradually alter the schedule to preserve comfort and energy savings if the occupants or lifestyles change.
The presence of a person can be detected using motion detectors. The Ecobee 4 is one smart thermostat that makes use of motion detectors.
A wireless network may be used to detect when a user is outside of its coverage area and determine if they are inside or close to their house. The Honeywell T6 Smart Thermostat uses a method called geofencing.
· Connected Thermostats
A connected thermostat has an internet connection for control but does not present analytical data. The popularity of WI-FI thermostats has increased recently; they integrate WI-FI and thermometer technologies. So, you can now utilize WiFi technology to have a temperature gauge in your house that is visible on your phone. Thermostats in cars and machinery will soon be able to use this technology, which is currently being developed. Since Google purchased Nest, a Wi-Fi thermostat firm, they are interested in this technological drive. By the end of 2022, the market for smart thermostats is anticipated to be worth around 3.5 billion USD.
· The Zoned systems
Zoned systems can regulate the temperature in certain areas rather than the entire house. By, for instance, heating or cooling only the home office and not the bedrooms and other spaces that are vacant throughout the day, this can boost energy savings.
· Zoned Systems Learning
The most sophisticated smart thermostats combine both; they can figure out when each room in a house is typically occupied and will automatically plan the heating for that room following that knowledge. Heat Genius is the only such technology that is now accessible for residential usage.
Studies
Internal Studies
Numerous manufacturers of smart thermostats have performed models and studies to support their claims that their products save energy and money. Energy modeling is a common method used by manufacturers of smart thermostats to estimate energy use. Savings are computed in these models by contrasting the smart thermostat with one that is set to a constant temperature. By comparing how long heating and cooling systems operate to the local weather, ecobee was able to compute energy savings. Savings on energy were determined using a 72 °F constant temperature. By running this model, ecobee was able to calculate a 23% reduction in heating and cooling expenses for users of its smart thermostat. Nest stated that installing a Nest Learning Thermostat will result in a 20% energy reduction for homeowners using a similar modeling technique. To calculate energy savings using real data rather than energy models, Nest performed nationwide research in February 2015 on Nest customers who had signed up for Nest’s MyHVAC-Energy service in 41 states. MyEnergy, a business that monitors and assesses program participants’ utility consumption, was bought by Nest in May 2013. The nest was able to calculate the energy savings of anyone who installed the Nest Learning Thermostat after purchasing My energy-Energy by using the historical data. To prevent data from being distorted by exceptionally cold or warm weather, this research compared energy use before and after the installation of a Nest Learning Thermostat. The research used a sample size of 735 households for the examination of gas usage and 624 homes for the investigation of electrical analysis. Each of these households was a member of the MyEnergy program and had access to adequate energy data both before and after a Nest Learning Thermostat was installed. Nest found that there were average gas savings of 10% and cooling savings of 17.5% after monitoring the energy use for a year. The savings vary from home to home based on the thermostat settings made by the owners before the installation of a Nest thermostat as well as variations in occupants’ habits, house features, and weather.
Both studies demonstrate an energy usage reduction by switching to using a smart thermostat, even though the results from the MyEnergy study are significantly lower than those from energy modeling.
