My sister has a smart thermostat in her home, and when she had it installed about a year ago, it was all she could talk about! She was so happy about saving energy and heating and cooling her house more efficiently.
At the time, I ignored her.
However, last weekend, she asked me to stay at her home while she was away. As her sister, I obliged. After a few hours of lounging around, I realized how cold it felt inside, and I found the nearest air vent, but couldn’t feel any warm air pushing through it. I assumed the thermostat was off, so I went to find it. Normally, I wouldn’t change the thermostat settings in someone else’s home, but this was my sister and she wanted me to be comfortable. When I located the thermostat, I tried to raise the temperature, but it wouldn’t let me. Her smart thermostat was locked! I texted her and asked her if she would unlock the thermostat so I wouldn’t freeze to death. Instead of unlocking it for me, she turned the furnace back on. Apparently, her smart thermostat was programmed to shut her furnace off when she wasn’t home. It would cut back on thirty minutes before she was due to return back to her house from work; This way, she wasn’t heating an empty home. The concept sounded intriguing, but, I wouldn’t appreciate the hassle of having to alter the temperature through the phone. I wish I could’ve just turned her furnace on myself, rather than asking permission like a kid.