As energy prices climb, the high-tech smart thermostat takes center stage as a must-have upgrade.
Spring hasn't arrived in my high desert climate in central Oregon, and this lightly snowing March morning is chilly, especially in my office far away from both the thermostat and the fireplace. But I have a quick fix for this. "Hey Google, show me my thermostat," I say. "Got it," my Nest display responds. It brings up all my Nest thermostat settings, including a large dial on the touchscreen. At a touch, I move the temperature up a couple of degrees to keep the heat lasting longer than usual. A voice command would have worked too, but I like the tactile control when my display is handy. Finally, I take my wireless satellite sensor — it looks like a large, white pebble you'd find in a river — and perch it on a nearby shelf. My thermostat uses the sensor's readings in combination with the primary thermostat in the hall, picking up on temperatures in the spots where people actually spend time. Like me, currently shivering in front of my computer. These are only a few of the tricks in a smart thermostat's high-tech bag, and they're especially timely. CNET's energy survey from 2024 found that 78% of US adults are concerned about rising home energy costs, with almost a third of respondents relying on borrowing and payment plans to afford their energy bills. Heating bills in winter 2024 to 25 that rose by as much as double-digit rates didn't help matters. The Trump administration's tariffs are complicating matters, from broad supply chain effects to, as CNET editor Ajay Kumar relates, the targeting of Canadian electricity. That means individual consumers in the Midwest and New England could endure even more energy woes this year. "Keeping the thermostat on a hold or trying to remember when to turn it on/off or up/down only drains energy and your wallet," Adina Roth, product lead for the Nest Learning Thermostat (like the model I'm currently using), tells me. "The most amazing part of a smart thermostat is the ability to keep your home at a comfortable temperature…