What makes a thermostat 'smart'?
A smart thermostat is a Wi-Fi enabled device that can automatically adjust your home's heating and cooling temperature settings for optimal performance. ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing the heating and cooling of your home. They learn the temperature that the you like and establish a schedule that automatically adjusts to energy-saving temperatures when you are asleep or away. The data they collect also allows you to easily track and manage your home energy use. You can even control them remotely from your smartphone!
What is the difference between an ENERGY STAR smart thermostat and other smart thermostats?
Today, smart thermostats are offered by every major brand in the market, and nearly half of all new thermostats sold are smart thermostats. Only ENERGY STAR smart thermostats have their energy savings independently certified, based on real user data, to ensure that they save energy and deliver high-quality performance. They are guaranteed to accurately measure temperature, quickly enter a low-power standby mode when not in use, accurately track and report heating and cooling equipment use trends to the homeowner, and deliver energy savings.
Why will a smart thermostat benefit me - and the environment?
For the average American household, almost half of the annual energy bill goes to heating and cooling – more than $900 a year! An average smart thermostat user can expect to see savings of approximately 8% of heating and cooling bills – or $50 per year. If everyone used an ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostat, savings would grow to $740 million dollars per year and offset 13 billion pounds of annual greenhouse gas emissions!
Where can I find a list of ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats?
Check out the ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats list to find and compare products – and find the one that's right for your home.
How do I get my $50 DCSEU rebate?
There are a couple of different options to take advantage of the DCSEU smart thermostat rebate. The DCSEU is working with Nest to provide discount codes that allow DC residents to apply an instant $50 discount on the purchase of a Nest Learning Thermostat or Nest Thermostat E. Click here to get your code to use on Nest.com. For other qualifying ENERGY STAR smart thermostats, you can submit your rebate online or download a print form to mail in. Don't forget to submit or postmark your rebate by March 31!