Bought a $50 smart thermostat that claimed to save energy, but it just made my HVAC cycle constantly

Installed it last month and my electric bill went up $30 instead of down. Anyone else have a smart home gadget that backfired like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade4720d ago

Yeah I read something about that... some of those cheap thermostats basically have a "dumb" algorithm that just cycles the system way more than needed to hit the setpoint. Apparently the expensive ones actually learn your house's heat loss rate and stuff, but the $50 ones just blast it on and off. My buddy got a Wyze one and his wife started complaining about the fan running all night. He had to go into the settings and turn off some "smart recovery" feature that was basically pre-heating the house every morning way too early.

webb.christopher20d ago

Yeah that smart recovery stuff is brutal, just preheats the whole neighborhood.