waukeecla t1_j102ob0 wrote on December 20, 2022 at 6:12 PM

Not to sound like a boomer or a dumbass (honestly i'm in my twenties), but why does one use a smart thermostat?

To adjust the temp when you're not home?

potatochipsfox t1_j103mjo wrote on December 20, 2022 at 6:18 PM

I have radiators. Simple thermostats suck because of the lag in the system. Let's say it stops calling for heat at 68F. Well, the radiators are still hot so even though the system's off, the temp will rise to about 72F. Then when the house gradually cools down to 67F it will call for heat, but the radiators are cold and need time to warm up. So it will keep dropping to 66...65...64... result is a you get an 8 degree swing through the day, which is pretty uncomfortable.

The smart thermostat "learns" the lag and keeps my house within 2-3 degrees all day. Plus my heating doesn't have "zones" so I can use the thermostat's remote sensors to tell it to keep the poorly insulated bedroom at a comfortable temp during the night and ignore the rest of the house, and vice-versa during the day.

The remote features are nice conveniences IMO (like turning the heat up early if I'm coming home from work, so it can come up to temp by the time I get home), but that's what got me to buy one.

waukeecla t1_j106ftt wrote on December 20, 2022 at 6:36 PM

thank you for explaining that what a nice explanation, i've never lived with radiators so I didnt know that thank you! My 'nonsmart'(?) / digital thermostat also has programming, so I agree the heat being on before I get home is excellent. mine is just set to 5:30p m-f on the thermo.

I bet you could even do a shortcut on apple with an NFC tag that automatically sends a message to your thermo to start. Get in your car, tap the tag, your heat starts at home and then by the time you get home, boom heat. Or set just an alert that says "you're X minutes from home, start heat?"

tisthetimetobelit t1_j11oejk wrote on December 21, 2022 at 12:40 AM

My parents have this built in. If there isn’t a smartphone with the app installed in the house, the hvac goes into away mode.

bitstream_baller t1_j11dzzu wrote on December 20, 2022 at 11:24 PM

Wow. I have a 2-zone hydronic system and this sounds like exactly what I need.

ansky201 t1_j11tzxi wrote on December 21, 2022 at 1:23 AM

It sounds like something was seriously wrong with your old thermostat or furnace. I have old steam radiators and have never experienced such dramatic temperature swings. When my thermostat calls for heat my radiators are hot within 5-10 minutes. There is no way your temperature should be dropping 3-4 degrees while the radiators are warming up.

potatochipsfox t1_j192afw wrote on December 22, 2022 at 3:54 PM

I have hot water radiators, which are much slower than steam. The hot water is 70 degrees cooler than steam, and it takes longer to heat up all the water circulating through the system, which in turn has to heat up the radiators before they start heating the house, than it takes for steam to start heating up the radiators.

I'll grant you 8 degrees is an exception -- mostly when a warm-ish day where the system hasn't had to run very much turns to a very cold and very windy night. But a 4-5 degree swing is very typical and definitely noticeable, especially when trying to sleep through the "too hot" part of the swing.