I swore those expensive smart thermostats were a rip off till I saw my electric bill drop $45 in one month

My old thermostat was a basic dial unit from 1998. I figured a smart thermostat was just a gimmick for people with money to burn. Then my buddy installed one and showed me his usage data from the app, clear proof it cut his AC runtime by hours each day. I bought a used one off Facebook for $60 and my July bill went from $210 to $165. Has anyone else seen real savings or did I just get lucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_betty2d ago

Oh man, I feel you on the burnt toast thing... I almost threw mine out the window the first week trying to figure out the programming. But here's the trick I learned the hard way - just set it to a basic schedule first, like 78 when you're gone and 72 when you're home, and let it learn for a week or two before messing with the fancy features. The savings really come from that consistent setback when nobody's around, not all the geofencing and voice control stuff. You got a good deal on that refurbished one though, I've been telling everyone to check Facebook Marketplace instead of buying new.

jasonc502d ago

Haha, "gimmick for people with money to burn" was basically my exact thought until I caved and bought a refurbished one for like forty bucks. I mean, I still burned toast the first week trying to figure out the scheduling, but my wallet's definitely happier. So same boat, just with slightly burnt crumbs.