Downsides To Smart Thermostats That No One Is Telling You About

It's no wonder you might be asking if smart thermostats are worth the hype. Smart thermostats have been making homeowners' lives easier since 2007, allowing you to conveniently use your mobile phone to program and adjust your home's temperature — even when you're away from home. As well as monitoring energy consumption and reducing your carbon footprint. With so many pros of having a smart thermostat, it's easy to overlook the many downsides that they come with, specifically, the high upfront cost, the risk of function failure due to company and WiFi outages, and cybersecurity risks.

Before making the switch from a traditional thermostat to one of the most popular smart home devices, take time to thoroughly investigate the downsides of smart thermostats that you may not be aware of. Then, you can weigh benefits like remote access, potential energy savings, and even tracking your HVAC's performance against possible challenges. Understanding these downfalls is essential for making an informed decision.

One of the most significant downsides to smart thermostats is the high upfront cost. The cost of the thermostat itself starts around $130, but if you have an older home that isn't compatible with a smart thermostat, you'll need to hire an HVAC specialist to install a C-wire (common wire) for it to operate. All in all, the cost to install a smart thermostat can range from $130 to $500 or more, which is much higher than the starting price of $99 to install a traditional thermostat.

When considering installing a smart thermostat, it's also important to remember that you're at the mercy of the thermostat company for your home's comfort. If your thermostat company has a widespread outage, be prepared to lose access to your app and overall thermostat functionality. Depending on the outage length, you could be facing multiple hours (or even days) without AC or heat, disrupting your entire living space. Along these lines, if your home loses its WiFi connection, you'll have reduced functionality with your device, not being able to remotely change the temperature.

Another potential downside to smart thermostats that isn't generally considered is security. Smart thermostats connect to your home's WiFi connection, and if your connection isn't properly secure, it won't take much for a hacker to infiltrate your thermostat. This can expose personal information like your name and email address, information about your home and temperature settings (including any room names and where they might be located within the home), and other technical device information. And, of course, if your thermostat is hacked, you might be subject to the perpetrator messing with your heating and cooling remotely, which can cause some serious hassles.