"I've seen cases where people jump straight into window replacements thinking that's the main issue, but a smart thermostat can sometimes make a surprising difference."
Totally agree with this. When I bought my first home, I almost went down the window replacement rabbit hole myself. Luckily, a friend nudged me toward trying a smart thermostat first. It was way cheaper and honestly made a noticeable dent in my energy bills right away. Good call on getting that audit done—definitely beats throwing money at guesses.
Smart thermostats definitely help—I’ve seen plenty of folks pleasantly surprised by the savings. But I wouldn't totally dismiss window upgrades either. In older homes especially, drafty windows can be a real money drain over the years. Maybe it's more about timing and priorities...like starting with the thermostat, then tackling windows down the road if needed. Curious if anyone’s compared their savings after eventually doing both? Would be interesting to see how the numbers stack up.
"Maybe it's more about timing and priorities...like starting with the thermostat, then tackling windows down the road if needed."
True, timing matters, but honestly, if your windows are really drafty, a thermostat won't magically fix that. I crunched numbers before upgrading mine—windows made a bigger dent long-term. Thermostats help, but they're no silver bullet.
Fair point on windows being a big deal, but honestly, replacing them can be pricey and messy (been there, done that... still finding sawdust months later). A thermostat's an easier first step—quick win, decent savings, and no cleanup required.
- Good points, but curious—anyone actually tracked their savings after installing a smart thermostat?
- Windows def seem like a bigger hassle, but wondering if the long-term payoff might still beat the thermostat's quick win...
