Spent $300 on a smart thermostat and it paid for itself in 6 months

I finally swapped out my old thermostat for a Nest knockoff last January. It cost me about $300 including installation. My electric bill dropped by $45 a month on average because the thing actually learns when to turn off the heat. I live in a drafty 1940s house in Denver, so I was skeptical it would make a dent. But after tracking the numbers for half a year, it's already saved me over $270. The best part is it shuts off when I leave for work, which I always forgot to do manually. Anyone else get good results from a smart thermostat or was I just lucky with my setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

evaperez24d ago

Did you check if your local utility company offers rebates for smart thermostats? I got $50 back from mine when I installed a similar one, which made the upfront cost a lot easier to swallow. Some places even give you a discount on your monthly bill just for letting them adjust your temp during peak hours. Might be worth looking into if you haven't already.

dakota78724d ago

@evaperez makes a decent point about rebates, but I've seen too many smart thermostats fail after a couple of years for the savings to really matter. A $300 upfront cost might not look so smart when the Wi-Fi module dies just after the warranty ends. You're better off with a $30 programmable thermostat and the discipline to adjust it manually.