Hey guys welcome back to the 50 top tips, tricks, hacks features of thermostats and, if you've caught this video, this is just one of five in this video we're going to go through 31 through 40.. So let's get started 31. A lot of thermostats today are connected to some sort of smart home technology. That's kind of the verbiage that they're using what you need to know as the homeowner is that as you're shopping around and you're, looking at thermostats a lot of these thermostats because of smart homes and all this different technology coming out, you can get a thermostat that Actually connects to all of that in one, and so a lot of the brands are coming out with their own technology, where, with one app you'll, be able to control the thermostat.

Your security cameras, other appliances, electrical components like lights in your home, they're coming out with all kinds of stuff. So, if that's something you're interested in keep that in mind as you're shopping for your next thermostat number 32, when you're buying most digital thermostats and you're setting them up a lot of them, will ask you: what is the type? What is your system type if, even if they use other verbiage, basically, what they're asking you is? What type of system do you have? Do you have a heat pump? Do you have a conventional forced air furnace? Do you have fossil fuels versus electricity? Do you have a boiler, baseboard heat? Maybe you only have a cool, only air conditioning, only system and then lastly, does your system control the fan or do you want the thermostat to do that? If you are installing a thermostat and you get that question and you don't know the answer to it, please hire a professional. You might open a can of worms that you didn't mean to when you install that new thermostat and that segues into my next one, which is 33, and that is, you - can have wi-fi capability on almost every type of system out there today. And what do i mean by that? So i just went over system types.

If you get a wi-fi thermostat that controls that system, you can control it through wi-fi now, what's the big deal with that? Well, i've had customers in the past where they might have. You know ductwork in their house, you know their air conditioning, maybe even a heat pump system and that's how they get their air conditioning and they got a wi-fi. Thermostat, updated technology with that system, but in the same exact house, they'll have a whole separate, thermostat hanging on the wall that still feeds that old boiler. That's been giving them heat for all those years or their old, baseboard heating or whatever most systems.

Today, you can get a wi-fi thermostat and as long as you know what you're doing and setting it up, you can control it through wifi. What, if you have zoning? What, if you have a boiler that has a thermostat in each zone? What, if you have a heat pump system that has multiple zones with dampers that open and close? Maybe you have a mini split system, so you got a wall hung in this room a floor mount in this room, maybe a pancake style, ducted mini split in another part of the house, and you've got a zoned mini split system with one outdoor unit controlling all Those indoor units and the question becomes with all these different types of zoning systems. Can you have wi-fi capability? Can you control it from your phone or your computer? Maybe you're on your way home and you want to adjust the temperature. So it's comfortable when you get there and do you have that capability and, i would say 90 percent of the time.

The answer is: yes, is there a few exceptions to that rule out there? Yes, but for the most part the answer is yes, you can have wi-fi capability, number 34 temperature correction. I've had this call, so many times seems like at least once or twice a year, and that is someone that calls in and they say, hey my thermostat's not reading correctly. I've got a i've, got a thermometer mounted right beside it and the thermostat isn't matching it or i've got some sort of psychrometer some sort of humidity reading device and it doesn't match the thermostat. So the cool thing about a lot of thermostats on the market today is you can adjust that temperature reading, meaning you can go into that thermostat and you can say, hey look, i think you're three degrees higher than what it actually is in this room and adjust That back down do i think it really matters in the grand scheme of things if that temperature is dead on no, i don't think it's going to change the actual operation of your system, you're not going to be any more comfortable.

If you adjust that temperature, the system is going to do what it's supposed to do, regardless of what you have it set at versus the new temperature you're now telling it it is. But ultimately, if it bothers you - and you want that thing to be accurate, you want it to be dead on. You can adjust those thermostat temperature and humidity readings, number 35 heat droop or temperatures for staging. What i mean by that is i'll just use heat droop, for example, all of them have their own little verbiage, but this is one of my favorite features that a lot of thermostats have on them and that is you can adjust what the ambient temperature versus set Point differences before it brings on another stage or backup heat, for example.

So, let's just say you have let's say a normal heat pump system with backup heat, whether that's a furnace or electric heat strips. You can set a heat droop. Whatever that temperature difference is so you might say, oh well, i want a three degree heat droop or i want a two degree - heat droop. If you have that set on three, if it gets down to three degrees between that ambient temperature, that it is in the room and what you have it set at, it will then bring on the backup heat and help heat that system some thermostats.

If the heat droops on zero, it might even say comfort or no heat, droop, no temperature staging, and so we talked about a backup heat stage timer in one of the other videos, and i like to use those in tandem. So i like to set maybe a two degree heat droop and if it gets down to two degree difference between that ambient temperature and set point, then i'll turn the backup heat stage, timer on for say, 30 minutes, and so when it sees that 2 degree difference. It's going to do the 30 minute timer and if it still sees that 2 degrees or more then it'll bring those heat strips on ultimately you're, giving the first stage heat a chance you're, giving it a chance to try to heat the home and reach temperature without Having to use more electricity or gas number 36 wall plates, or sometimes they're called trim kits or back plates depending on what the brand is, but ultimately, if you have a wall plate a lot of times, you can hide the old footprint of the old thermostat. So what do i mean by that? Have you ever seen where somebody has removed the old thermostat and installed the new thermostat and it doesn't take up the same real estate on the wall? If you will maybe the old one? Was this big and the new one's? Only this big well, you can get back plates to install behind that thermostat and it will cover all that and in most cases, they're not too bad looking.

They just cover up the problems on the wall, where the paint stops and it makes the thermostat more cosmetically pleasing most wall plates are pretty inexpensive and in a lot of cases you could probably get it and install it yourself. But again, if you don't feel comfortable, definitely get a pro to do that number 37. This is one of my favorite features that some of the newer thermostats have started coming out with. I remember a couple years ago when i saw the first thermostat with this feature and of course, i'm talking about the weather, and so a few years ago i saw a thermostat that said: hey, you know: here's the temperature, you have your house set at here's.

What the temperature is in the house and oh by the way, here's what's going on outside here's, what your high and your low are going to be today, and i just thought that was pretty cool and now that time's gone on we're seeing more and more thermostats Have that feature number 38. This feature is one of my all-time number. One got ta haves if i'm talking to a customer and i'm talking about alerts from a thermostat so years ago, when wi-fi thermostats first started coming out, you know you start talking to folks. Well, you know you can control it from wherever you can adjust the temperature before you get home, make it comfortable before you get home all these different things right and all that's pretty cool and it's great for comfort and all that good stuff.

But now wi-fi thermostats being able to alert you if something's wrong is way more powerful. So if the temperature in your house has dropped below a certain temperature that thermostat can literally email, you and say hey it's gotten too cold in here. I remember years ago my wife and i were on our way we had gone out of town and i got that email. It said: hey.

Your house has gotten down to 63 degrees. You know just want to let you know, and it was totally because i had been running a schedule and i'd hit vacation mode. We were going out of town, not thinking, and i was able to from my phone while on the road turn up the heat for the cat. We still had a cat at home and i was able to turn on the heat for the cat, but a lot of these alerts.

It's not just temperature they'll alert you if there's a problem with the humidity, if it's too high or too low ventilation and even indoor air quality, so we're starting to see more and more systems come out with air monitors installed in the system and it'll alert you. If it sees something wrong, if it sees something unsafe that you're breathing in your house or someone else could be exposed to it'll, send you an email and say: hey, look: here's what i'm seeing just want to alert! You number 39 wireless thermostats and no i'm not talking about wi-fi, i'm actually talking about a thermostat mounted on your wall with no wires. You could pull it off the wall and there's nothing going on behind it. Why would you want a wireless thermostat? I think there's lots of reasons why you may consider one, but one might be is if you do not like your current thermostat location, maybe it's being hit by the sun certain times of the day.

Maybe it's too close to a vent and it's getting blown on and it's adjusting the temperature, maybe it's in a room with say a fireplace and it's making the rest of the house cold. When you have a little fire in your fireplace whatever. The reason is, maybe you just don't like where that thermostat is located. You can install a wireless thermostat wherever you want it.

It's almost like a remote control for a tv you can set it put it wherever you want your house as long as, within a certain distance, you install a module at the air handler or furnace and that wireless thermostat can talk to it and say: hey. You know turn on the heat turn on the ac. This could save you gobs of money, because if you were to relocate a thermostat and sometimes some cases, it could be quite pricey just to move a thermostat to relocate the wiring. Maybe you might have to cut a couple holes in the drywall to get that thermostat moved and that wire moved to the new location.

Forget all that get a wireless thermostat install it wherever you want to, and you'll be good to go little disclaimer. If you do get a wireless thermostat, just keep in mind, it'll have batteries that need to be replaced from time to time, still not a big deal, but just letting you know and finally, number 40 fan settings. This is probably one of the questions that i get. The most from homeowners, they'll, say: hey, you know, i've got this.

These different modes, i've got auto on circulate. I've got all these different modes, which one should i put my house on and we can go through the pros and cons from each one. I would say in most cases most homes across the united states, the majority uh maybe 60 to 70, maybe even 80 percent of those houses probably just need to be on auto, especially if you don't have any sort of indoor air quality accessories or anything added to The system there's really no point for you to continue to circulate air now. Is there something to be said for circulating more air can remove more stale air in your home you're circulating that air throughout the house and you're gon na have better comfort because there's more equal temperatures, sure i've heard that argument made.

But obviously your fans running more and it will consume more electricity now before one of those guys gets on here any comments i get hate messages all the time. Yes, i know it's minimal, but i'm just saying if you are the homeowner and you turn that fan on it will consume more electricity, obviously, and so when digital thermostats first came out, they then added. This circulate function where it's kind of in between it's not really on all the time, but it's not just on when the system's calling it's got a circulate function where that fan will come on every now and then and circulate air throughout the house moving air making. It more comfortable removing stale layer from the house and the hope and dream is that you have better comfort.

I've done other videos on humidity and setting the fan on and all that sort of stuff. I'm not gon na get in all that in this video. But it's just pretty cool that most thermostats on the market. Today you have more than just one or two options now they're coming out with all kinds of stuff and last little disclaimer before we wrap up is just realize.

If you are running some sort of schedule a lot of times, you can control in that schedule. What your fan setting will be as well, so maybe there's certain times of the day or week that you want to do just auto, maybe there's other times you might want to circulate or just turn it on and have it running constantly. We had a business not that long ago, where they were taking care of kids. It was like a daycare and they had us install one of these thermostats, and so when they were open - or there were kids there, they had it circulating air, maybe even had it turned on, but then that program, if it got to be after hours or at Night, it would go back to auto so anyway.

That's it for this video before you go. If you are in the market for a heating and air system before you spend thousands before you hire a contractor and get taken advantage of, i built a website to help you through the process to avoid the headaches to avoid the scams out there. And it's called new hvacguide.com, it's as if i wrote a book, but instead of a book that would become outdated. I'm able to add everything to this website change it as i need to, and i've got so much information on there.

A lot of heating and air contractors and manufacturers - don't even want you to know i've got a whole page called no knows. I've got a whole page for good and bad heating and air brands so check that out before you spend thousands check out new hvac guide, but that's it thanks for watching hit that subscribe button we'll see you next time.