These days, lots of folks around the greater Kansas City area have already upgraded their old thermostats to new smart thermostats, but some people are still on the fence. If you're one of the latter, here are some reasons to upgrade your Olathe heating and cooling system to a new smart thermostat this year!

Smart thermostats may seem relatively new, but they've actually been on the market since the creation of the first ecobee thermostat back in 2007. When most people think of smart thermostats, though, they think Nest. Nest is the best-selling smart thermostat on the market right now, but the brand didn't hit retail shelves until 2011.

Today, there are plenty of options for savvy homeowners, including Nest, ecobee, Honeywell, Lux, Bosch, Johnson Controls, Schneider, Emerson, and more. You can find details and ratings for each in Consumer Reports and on websites such as Amazon, CNET, Digital Trends, and so on.

Before you're ready to select the smart thermostat that's right for you, though, you might want to know why you should upgrade to a smart thermostat this year. Here are a few of the more obvious reasons and some that you may not have thought of just yet!

1. You'll Save Money on Energy Bills
Let's face it, the biggest reason that most homeowners opt for a smart thermostat is because it'll save them money in the long run. And it definitely will. In fact, you can save between 10 and 25 percent of the cost of running your Olathe heating and cooling system with a smart thermostat, according to the EPA's Energy Star program. This means that homeowners can expect to save around $180 per year. At that rate, a smart thermostat will pay for itself in a hurry!

2. They're Programmable

We like to be in control. With a smart thermostat, we're in control even when we aren't thinking about it. We can program the thermostat to change temperature settings at a specific time and then forget about it. This is especially useful when we'll be away from the house or at night when we're asleep. It's also easy to program and re-program a smart thermostat as the seasons change so that the house is always comfortable and your energy bills stay manageable.

3. They Help Track Energy Use

For the data nerd in you, a smart thermostat actually provides you with reports about how much energy you're using and how your energy use has fluctuated over time. These reports can not only give you a real-time picture of your home's energy use, but they're often accompanied by tips on how to make small changes that will save you money on your Olathe heating and cooling bill in the long run. Some smart thermostats even allow you to set reminders for things such as when to change your furnace filters or schedule annual maintenance.

4. They Work with Other Smart Devices

Whatever you use around the house to help make your life easier, whether it's Alexa, Siri, Google Home, SmartThings, or IFTTT, your smart thermostat can integrate with it to automate even more of the things you do day-to-day. Feeling a chill while you watch your favorite show? You can just tell Alexa or Siri to turn up the heat without needing to get up from the couch!

5. You Get Remote Control!

These days, most smart thermostats have apps for your smartphone or other mobile device that work with iOS and Android devices and allow you to change settings wherever you are. You can nudge the temperature up while you're lying in bed or sitting on the couch, turn up the heat or A/C when you're on the way home from work, or reset the thermostat after you've already left for a vacation. What could be better than that?

6. Some Even Track the Weather

Some of the leading smart thermostats are, in fact, so smart that they can actually access local weather forecasts to anticipate changes in the weather and automatically make adjustments accordingly. What a great feature, right? Who wouldn't want the temperature in their house to be adjusted automatically when the weather suddenly turns? That's especially useful here in Olathe, where the weather is notoriously fickle. Imagine it: You're in bed on an autumn night when a sudden cold snap hits. You don't have to get up and adjust the thermostat or even fumble for your phone in the dark. The thermostat takes care of it for you, so you stay toasty warm until you wake up in the morning!

7. They Help Reduce the Impact on the Environment

Here's the thing: Smart thermostats are more efficient, and that's why they help save you money on your heating and cooling bill. This same efficiency also means that smart thermostats help you cut down on your carbon footprint. Nearly half of all households with internet access in the U.S. are expected to install a smart thermostat within the next few years, which means a reduction of billions of metric tons of carbon emissions. What better reason could there be to make the switch to a smart thermostat today?

8. They Bring Discipline to Home Heating and Cooling

Let's face it, most of us probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about the settings on our thermostat, right? This means that temperatures in our home can fluctuate pretty widely, especially if we're not there. With a smart thermostat, we don't have to remember to make adjustments. The thermostat takes care of it for us, keeping us cozy and comfortable when we're home and avoiding heating and cooling an empty house when we're not there.

9. They Can Be Installed Relatively Easily

If you have a knack for doing things around the house, you can probably install your own smart thermostat without too much trouble. If you don't feel like doing it yourself, an Olathe heating and cooling specialist such as Davenport Service Company can help you install your smart thermostat and make sure that your entire HVAC system is optimized to take full advantage of it. Whether you're ready to install your new smart thermostat or just have questions about which thermostat is right for you, call Davenport Service Company today at 913-441-2222!