I've been wondering about that too... I mean, smart thermostats sound great in theory, but do they really change habits enough to save money? Seems like behavior might matter just as much as tech upgrades. Curious if anyone's noticed their usage patterns actually changing long-term.
I've wondered about this myself—like, even if the thermostat learns your schedule, doesn't it still depend on you actually sticking to some routine? Has anyone found themselves overriding the smart settings often enough that it defeats the purpose...?
"Has anyone found themselves overriding the smart settings often enough that it defeats the purpose...?"
Yeah, this is me exactly. When we first got our smart thermostat, I thought it'd be a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. But honestly, my schedule changes so much—working late some nights, weekends out of town—that I end up manually adjusting it pretty frequently. It tries to learn, but it's always playing catch-up. Don't get me wrong, it's still convenient to adjust from my phone instead of getting out of bed at midnight...but I'm not convinced it's saving me as much money as advertised.
On the other hand, when we replaced our old windows with energy-efficient ones last year, we noticed a difference almost immediately. Less drafty rooms, less noise from outside, and our heating bill dropped noticeably during winter. So if you're looking purely at long-term savings, I'd lean toward windows over relying solely on a smart thermostat.
I totally get what you're saying about the thermostat. I've had mine for a couple years now, and while it's handy, I find myself overriding it pretty often too. Like you said, life doesn't always follow a predictable pattern—especially if you have kids or a job with irregular hours. It does help to adjust remotely, but the savings aren't exactly groundbreaking.
About the windows, though—you're spot-on there. We upgraded ours about three years ago, and the difference was noticeable right away. Not just in comfort, but definitely in the monthly bills. If you're looking at long-term savings, windows seem like a safer bet since there's less human error involved (like forgetting to adjust the thermostat or overriding it too often). Plus, good windows add value to your home if you ever decide to sell down the road.
Have you tried tweaking your thermostat's sensitivity settings or scheduling manually instead of relying on its learning feature? That helped me cut down on overrides quite a bit...might be worth a shot.
Interesting points about the thermostat settings—I tried messing around with mine too, but honestly, I still find myself manually adjusting it way more often than I'd like. Maybe I'm just picky about temperature, but it rarely seems to get things exactly right without me stepping in.
About the windows though, you're definitely onto something there. When we replaced ours last summer, I was skeptical at first—seemed like a big upfront cost. But wow, the difference was noticeable almost immediately. Our AC wasn't kicking on nearly as often, and this past winter, the drafts were basically gone. Plus, as someone who's worked with homebuyers, I can confirm that quality windows really do catch people's eyes during walkthroughs. They're a tangible upgrade people appreciate.
I guess the thermostat has its perks for convenience and tech appeal, but if you're strictly looking at long-term savings and comfort...I'd lean towards windows every time. Curious though—anyone else find their smart thermostat's "learning" feature more annoying than helpful? Mine seems to have a mind of its own sometimes...
