There are certain things every homeowner in the UAE expects their property to feature, and air conditioning is definitely one of them. But now, as a generation used to instant connectivity, it’s not only about cooling, it’s about having the ability to control and adapt it whenever and from wherever.

One of the most important elements of choosing a new thermostat for many is also the design. Previously thermostats and programmers were overlooked and ignored because people become frustrated when they engage with them or hid them in a corner due to their design. Lionel Guicherd-Callin, head of EMEA product marketing at Nest Labs, tells us the key things to look for when looking for a new thermostat.

Lionel Guicherd-callin

Remote Control
Smart thermostats connect to your Wi-Fi allowing homeowners to adjust the temperature from another room, or turn up the cooling on your way home from work, via your laptop, mobile or tablet – and in some cases even smartwatches or voice assistants.

Don’t cool an empty home
Using motion sensors and even your mobile phone’s location, some smart thermostats can even turn themselves off when your home is empty to stop wasting energy. And use that same mobile phone location to cool your home before you get home.

Creating a schedule
Often thermostats are difficult to programme, and so is often only done once installed, which means schedules are incorrect or outdated. Intelligent thermostats use machine learning to create personalised schedules automatically, based on the homeowner’s preferences – and continuously adapts that schedule.

Understand your energy bill
Nobody likes surprises, so most thermostats also enable you to track your daily energy usage via a mobile app in an easily digestible format – such as hours on versus kilowatt hour (kwh) used. This can help you learn when you use more energy such as at the weekend or Monday nights, and how to use less.

A smarter home
A smart thermostat should also work with other products such as lights, locks, and even smoke alarms, whether from the same company or from third parties. Creating meaningful interactions to create a more thoughtful home – for example being able to turn off the air conditioner in the event of a fire. TIPS & TRICKS