Smart Thermostat and Energy Control

Due to the recent energy rate increases, the consumption and cost of property utilities has become a key focus for hosts in balancing guest experience vs property running costs and overall return.

One way to manage energy consumption and controls within a property remotely is through the recent introduction of Smart Thermostats. These devices enable home owners and property managers to control heating settings remotely.

Smart thermostats have many benefits over a traditional thermostat, a consumption method control, which has become increasingly important with the recent energy increases.

Section 1 - How Much Money Can A Smart Thermostat Save?

Whilst there is no definite answer to this as there are lots of different factors, including he size of rooms, location, behaviour etc, there are some basics to be established.

Heating a holiday let property can account for 41 to 63% of an energy bill. Nest, a leading smart home company has released a white paper that states smart thermostats can lower heating bills by an average of 12%. Ecobee, a competitor to Nest, claims the savings to be around 23%.

It is important to remember that there are various factors that influence how much a homeowner can save, some of those factors can be influenced by the homeowner.

Section 2 - Setting a Maximum Temperature

One important thing to remember is that smart thermostats only save a property owner money within the boundaries defined by them.

There are plenty of small wins out there and these can add up to substantial energy savings.

For example, for every degree celsius the temper is lowered for 8 hours, that could potentially save 2% off an energy bill.

Whilst 2% may not seem like much, by lowering the temperature 8 degrees celsius during the day and 4 degrees celsius at night, that could save around 18% off a heating bill.

Hosts are able to set a maximum temperature using the smart thermostat app so that guests will not be able to increase the temperature from the thermostat above the temperature set by the host. This means that it will be possible to achieve that reduction of 8 degrees celsius during the day and 4 at night.

Section 3 - Scheduling

A schedule for hosting can be created quickly. Whereas with a traditional thermostat, it would not be possible to remotely turn the heating on 30 minutes before the guest arrived, with a smart thermostat, it is. Ensuring that the heating isn’t switched on longer than it needs to be but also ensures that guests have a positive first impression of the property.

There is also the option to schedule the heating to shut off at check out time, meaning that the property won’t be being heated when it’s empty.

Section 4 - Zone Control

Installing multiple smart thermostats can not only mean that guests can vary the temperature from floor-to-floor or room-to-room. It also means as a host, potentially not every floor or room is being heated at the same time resulting in lower energy bills.

Zone control can be controlled from a smartphone or, if agreed, by a territory manager on the host's behalf.

Section 5 - Lockout Mode

Smart thermostats help create a consistently comfortable environment for guests, increasing their satisfaction.

However having control of the temperature setting at a property can provide peace of mind and this is where Lockout Mode has its advantages. As a host, there is the function to disable temperature control on the physical thermostat, meaning that full control of the temperature is from the app only.

Section 6 - Energy Charting

By installing smart thermostats at a short-let property, the decision has been made to take full control of heating.

The Energy Charting feature can provide hosts with the visibility of when the most energy is being consumed, equally where there are opportunities to save. Energy Charting data allows hosts to identify areas where minor adjustments can be made. This can potentially have a large positive impact on energy bills!

Energy charting is available through the manufacturers app.