Avoid These 10 Summer Thermostat Mistakes (With Extra Tips)

Overcooling Your Home

Your smart thermostat can help keep your home cool and energy-efficient in summer. However, even tech-savvy households can make mistakes that raise bills and reduce comfort in summer.

This slideshow will highlight common smart thermostat mistakes and offer simple solutions to help you get the most out of your cooling system.

Setting your thermostat too low might seem like a quick fix, but it can overwork your AC and lead to higher bills.

Solution: Set your thermostat to 78°F when you’re home and raise it by 7-10 degrees when you’re away. This balance keeps your home cool without straining your AC.

Ignoring the Humidity Levels

Many people forget that humidity affects how cool or warm a home feels. Running your air conditioner without checking the humidity might create discomfort and increase energy expenses.

Solution: If your thermostat has dehumidification capabilities, utilize it or combine it with a dehumidifier to maintain ideal humidity levels (around 50%).

Neglecting Regular Maintenance

A smart thermostat will be ineffective if your HVAC system isn’t working properly. Skipping routine maintenance results in inadequate cooling and increased energy consumption.

Solution: Schedule regular HVAC maintenance and filter replacements every 1-3 months to keep your system and thermostat functioning smoothly.

Placing the Thermostat in the Wrong Spot

It is important to consider where your thermostat is placed. If it is placed in direct sunlight or close to a drafty environment, it may provide inaccurate readings.

Solution: Place your thermostat on an internal wall, away from windows, doors, and direct sunlight, to guarantee it reads the correct temperature.

Setting It and Forgetting It

Most people leave their thermostat set to a specific setting. However, adjusting it for different times of day can help save energy.

Solution: Set your thermostat to lower the temperature during peak heat hours and slightly raise it when you’re away or sleeping. This decreases energy use while keeping your home comfortable.

Not Using the Thermostat’s App

If you do not use your thermostat’s companion app, you will miss out on remote control and advanced scheduling capabilities.

Solution: Install the app and explore its features. You can modify settings while moving, monitor energy usage, and even receive warnings if your home becomes excessively hot or chilly.

Forgetting to Update the Firmware

Like any smart device, your thermostat needs regular updates to function optimally. Ignoring firmware updates can result in malfunctions or missing functionalities.

Solution: To ensure your thermostat runs properly, schedule reminders to check for updates or activate automatic updates in its settings.

Ignoring Energy-Saving Modes

While many smart thermostats offer energy-saving capabilities, these features are frequently overlooked.

Solution: Enable eco mode when you don’t require intensive cooling, such as sleeping or away from home.

Leaving the Fan on Constantly

Constantly running your HVAC fan can raise your energy bills and shorten the life of your system.

Solution: Put your fan in “Auto” mode so it only runs when your system is heating or cooling. This saves energy and increases the lifespan of your HVAC system.

Overlooking Seasonal Adjustments

Not adjusting your thermostat settings according to the seasons might lead to inefficient electricity use.

Solution: At the start of each season, check your thermostat settings to ensure they are optimized for the current weather conditions, keeping your house comfortable and energy-efficient all year.

Read on to find additional smart thermostat suggestions that will help you remain cool and make the most of your thermostat during the summertime.

Not Syncing with Other Smart Devices

Not syncing your smart thermostat with other home devices can reduce efficiency. Connect it to smart lights, fans, shades, and other devices to create an automated environment that adapts to your needs.

This integration enables your house to respond dynamically to your requirements, improving comfort and energy efficiency.

Ignoring Vacation Mode

Ignoring the vacation setting on your thermostat can result in excessive energy consumption while you’re gone.

Activating this mode allows you to select a more energy-efficient temperature while away and have the thermostat restored to your preferred settings right before you return, assuring comfort without wasting electricity.

Disabling Learning Mode

Disabling your thermostat’s learning mode may prevent you from receiving individualized temperature settings.

Learning mode allows your thermostat to recognize your patterns and automatically change temperatures, maximizing comfort and energy savings. This feature might make your home more responsive to your daily activities.

Overlooking Energy Reports

Ignoring energy statistics from your smart thermostat means missing out on crucial information about your energy consumption.

Regularly studying these data allows you to discover patterns and make informed decisions to conserve energy and money. This proactive approach can result in significant long-term savings.

Not Using Voice Control

If your smart thermostat offers voice control and you don’t use it, you’re missing out on convenience.

Connecting your thermostat to a voice assistant such as Alexa or Google Home enables hands-free temperature adjustments, making your smart home experience even more efficient and user-friendly.

Not Considering the Occupancy Sensor

Failing to use your thermostat’s occupancy sensor when no one is home might lead to wasted energy.

By enabling this sensor, your thermostat will automatically adjust the temperature based on room occupancy, ensuring that energy is used efficiently only when necessary, decreasing energy bills.

If you want to learn the easy steps to connect your thermostat with HomeKit, read our post.

Leaving the Thermostat in Learning Mode Too Long

While the learning mode on your smart thermostat is important for understanding your routine, leaving it on indefinitely can result in inefficiencies and unwanted adjustments.

After your thermostat has learned your patterns, turn it to manual mode to fine-tune settings for best performance, ensuring it continues working at peak efficiency without needless changes.

If you’re deciding between these two thermostats, check out our comparison of Wyze vs. Nest Thermostat.