If you invest your money in a smart thermostat, you will never regret it. A network controlled temperature device means easy temperature adjustments by using your phone, voice commands or tablet when you are at home: more energy savings and more efficiency. If you are thinking of buying a smart thermostat, you must have heard of Google nest. However, smart thermostat Alexa has entered the market to give a tough competition to Google Nest.
Smart thermostat Alexa was first unveiled in the fall of 2021. This all-new Amazon thermostat is only $60 and has been co-developed with Resideo. Since Alexa is built into the thermostat, homeowners can only use the Alexa app to adjust the temperature, set the schedules of different temperatures throughout the day, and monitor energy efficiency.
Installation and design
Amazon has gone with a sleek and minimalistic look for the thermostat design. The smart thermostat measures only 3.56 inches wide with 3.56 inches tall. The faceplate colours are only available in white right now. The touchscreen portion of the smart thermostat allows keeping things simple for the user. Most of the device face is used to display the temperature. This is very advantageous since you can view the temperature from even across the room. The buttons to control the temperature are present beneath the display.
The Amazon smart thermostats can only get connected to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks. Currently, there are no thermostats released by Amazon which are compatible with 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
Compatibility of the smart thermostat with other devices
According to Amazon, their smart thermostat is compatible with most of the other 24 V HPAC systems. When it comes to wiring, this thermostat requires a C-wire connection. C wire is referred to as common wire and acts as the power lead that provides constant power to Wi-Fi-powered thermostats. If you have an HVAC system that is very old, there is a chance that this system will not have a C wire. Therefore, you need to start by determining whether your HPAC system has a C wire or not before you have Amazon smart thermostat installed.
More savings every month
Since Amazon also used the help of the Honeywell team for the development of the thermostat, the thermostat is energy star certified. This certification is not given easily. If you choose Amazon smart thermostat, you will be saving at least $50 every year on your electricity bill. According to Amazon, from an investment point, the smart thermostat may land up costing you $10 to nothing in the long run.
Integration of Alexa with the smart thermostat
If you have Alexa, you must realise that Alexa has become important for managing your smart home. Alexa has an integrated skill that is referred to as ‘hunches’. For people who poseess more than one smart home device, the hunches feature comes in very handy. Alexa uses hunches as a tool to learn about you and your home.
When you go to bed and say. ‘good night Alexa’, Alexa initiates the arming of the outside security system and dimming of the lights in the house. However, if you forget to say good night to Alexa? This is where hunches come in. Even if you do not say good night to Alexa, once you have gone off to sleep, Alexa will understand that you are sleeping and will lock up the house and keep you protected.
It can be controlled without voice commands.
The first thing people think of and they discuss smart home devices is that the device will have to be voice-controlled. It is the same case with smart thermostats as well. If you have an Alexa smart thermostat installed in your home, you can use voice commands to adjust the temperature. However, the smart thermostat does not have a microphone or onboard speaker. Therefore, you will have to have some display sound or smart speaker in the house if you wish to adjust the temperature using phrases.
Alternatively, if you do not wish to purchase a separate standalone device only for voice commands, you can always use Alexa for this purpose. You can Say your commands to the Alexa app, and Alexa will carry out your needs.
Availability and pricing
The Amazon smart thermostat was released on the market on November 4, 2021. There are primarily two versions of Amazon smart thermostats available in the market: the thermostat and the thermostat with a C wire adapter. The thermostat costs $60, while the thermostat with C wire costs $75. Amazon smart thermostat also comes with a one year warranty. Therefore, if you are in the market and are looking for a smart thermostat for your home, you do not have to look beyond Amazon smart thermostat.
