We're now firmly in the summer months which means that we're in air conditioning territory. But whether you're keeping your home cool or looking to get toasty in the cooler months, one handy bit of tech could be the secret to keeping you comfortable and controling your energy bills. Getting the temperature just so is so easy in my smart home that I can do it using nothing more than my voice.
"Hey Google, show me my thermostat," I say.
"Got it," my Nest display responds. It brings up all my Nest thermostat settings, including a large dial on the touchscreen. At a touch, I can move the temperature up or down at will, as if by magic. A voice command would work too, but I like the tactile control when my display is handy.
Next, I take my wireless satellite sensor -- it looks like a large, white pebble you'd find in a river -- and perch it on a nearby shelf. My thermostat uses the sensor's readings in combination with the primary thermostat in the hall, picking up on temperatures in the spots where people actually spend time.
These are only a few of the tricks in a smart thermostat's high-tech bag, and they're especially timely. CNET's energy survey from 2024 found that 78% of US adults are concerned about rising home energy costs, with almost a third of respondents relying on borrowing and payment plans to afford their energy bills. Heating bills in winter 2024 to 25 that rose by as much as double-digit rates didn't help matters.
The Trump administration's tariffs are complicating matters, from broad supply chain effects to, as CNET editor Ajay Kumar relates, the targeting of Canadian electricity. That means individual consumers in the Midwest and New England could endure even more energy woes this year.
"Keeping the thermostat on a hold or trying to remember when to turn it on/off or up/down only drains energy and your wallet," Adina Roth, product lead for the Nest Learning Thermostat (like the model I'm currently using), tells me. "The most amazing part of a smart thermostat is the ability to keep your home at a comfortable temperature and balance energy usage."
Changes like these help me shave $20 or more off my monthly heating costs in winter, while alerting me if my energy savings suddenly dip. While it's a new model, a couple more months of this and it will have paid for itself with minimal trouble. That's a far cry from eyeballing old dials and levers on thermostats from decades past.
And installation? After wiring in my share of outdoor cameras and doorbells, this thermostat presented little challenge, especially after a quick wiring pic with my phone. Renters may need to ask permission to install one, but everyone can benefit from the savings — and without AI privacy issues to boot. I'll get more into all that farther along in this article.
The end result: A mild-mannered smart device from brands like Ecobee, Google Nest, Honeywell Home and Amazon has an incredible ability to address energy issues and save us all money — without overwhelming home renovation. But that's not all this sub-$300 device can do.
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