Perhaps the most valuable feature of a smart thermostat is that you don’t have to get up off the couch and walk over to the thermostat anymore. You can turn up the heat or turn down the air with either voice commands or through an app. 

Programmable thermostats have been around for a while, but today’s smart thermostats take this technology to a whole new level, offering some advanced energy-saving features. With most smart thermostats, you can do the basic things like change the temperature from a remote location with your app, or set a schedule for day and night settings. However, some advanced smart thermostats now offer AI learning features that learn your behaviors, and some models can sense when you’re home or not, and adjust accordingly.

Depending on the source, experts say that smart thermostat technology can save you up to 23% or 26% annually on your energy bills. This is achieved by minimizing running your heat or air conditioning when you don’t need it. For example, a smart thermostat can reduce the heat while you’re at work during the day, and then raise the temperature to a comfortable level by the time you get home. It’s a simple concept, but this type of optimizing a heating/cooling system’s use actually does save a lot of energy over the year. Also, some tech-savvy smart thermostats have features that sense when you’re not home or in certain rooms, and lower or raise the temperature to save energy. This way, you use as little heat or air conditioning as possible, but you can enjoy comfortable temperatures around the clock with minimal hassle.

C-wire stands for “common wire,” which is the powered wire that runs from your heating and cooling system to your thermostat. Most newer homes have C-wires, but not all do, and many older homes may operate without one. When shopping for a smart thermostat, you’ll see that many manufacturers offer adapters or versions of their thermostat that can be installed whether or not you have a C-wire. However, you’ll need to know if your home has a C-wire or not before you buy so you can be sure to get the technology that will work for you.

You’ve set out to get with the digital age and buy a smart thermostat for your home. Great choice! You’ll save energy and enjoy the convenience of these advanced systems. Before you make your selection, however, there are a lot of things to think about, because there are some relevant differences between brands. Consider the following key points while you shop for a new smart thermostat:

In order to save you a little time, we’ve looked through the options in smart thermostats available today and reviewed some of the top names and lesser-known brands. Here are our top picks for the best smart thermostats:

Works with Most Home Systems 

Google Nest’s smart thermostat has many valuable features, including using a set schedule to turn up or down the heat or air at the same time every day. This smart thermostat will also turn itself down when you’re not there in order to save energy.

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Get the house to a comfortable temperature before you arrive home by controlling your thermostat from your phone, or anywhere, with the Google Nest smart thermostat.

Native Alexa Integration

If you talk to Alexa as part of managing your daily life, then Amazon’s smart thermostat is a natural addition to your life. You can ask Alexa to increase or decrease the temperature, set customizable schedules, and more.

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Control the heating and cooling of your home with a convenient app, or talk to Alexa to change the thermostat with this smart thermostat from Amazon.

Works with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or Alexa

People love the ecobee SmartThermostat because it works with any popular smart home system, including Google, Alexa, or Apple. With ecobee’s thermostat, there are optional sensors that can be placed in different rooms to make each space a comfortable temperature.

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Ask either Siri or Alexa to turn up the heat with this feature-packed ecobee SmartThermostat.

Compatibility and Low Price

This T5 smart thermostat from Honeywell has its fans because of its easy set-up and simplicity. The thermostat learns how long it will take for your home to reach the desired temperature by a scheduled time, and controls the heat or air conditioning accordingly.

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Instead of confusing, over-complicated smart thermostats, Honeywell’s T5 smart thermostat delivers simple use and a touch screen on the wall.

Easy Touch Screen Control

You can either walk over to your Emerson Sensi Touch Smart thermostat to adjust your home temperature, or you can control it from a remote location with the app. For people who don’t need all the bells and whistles of unnecessarily complex thermostats, this basic yet high quality smart thermostat fits the bill.

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For homes with heating and cooling systems with a C-wire, this smart thermostat from Emerson will provide everything you need in a programmable thermostat.