Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Future Has Arrived…Wireless Thermostats

Remember when you used to have to actually get up from the couch to change the channel on the TV?  Well, I don't, but my dad sure likes to tell me about it.  Now someday I can tell my children:  I remember when I had to walk down the hall to change the temperature on the thermostat.  One of the latest innovations in heating and cooling technology is the advent of the wireless thermostat.
As its name suggests, the wireless thermostat is a portable thermostat that allows you to change the temperature of your home anywhere in the house.  It works somewhat like portable phones in that a "base" thermostat is wall mounted somewhere in your home and then has wireless receivers connected to it.  The benefit of this is that since the connection between the base and the receivers can go through walls and ceilings, you can hide away that less than beautiful wall mount in a closet or in the basement.

I understand that right now having to walk to the thermostat may not seem that inconvenient, but I am sure those in the past who went down to the well for water didn't think that was too bad either.  There are some definite advantages to being able to change the thermostat no matter where you are in the house:

• If you are cleaning, exercising or doing something else strenuous you do not have to interrupt what you are doing to lower the temperature.
• Whenever my grandfather stays with us, since he usually lives in Florida, he turns the dial up to about 80 degrees even in the summer.  I usually really notice this excessive heat when I am crawling into bed and realize I cannot sleep like that.  It would be much easier to change the temperature from the thermostat on my bedside table than to walk back down to it.
• If you turned down the heat due to having a large number of people over, it is easier to remember to turn it back up when the thermostat is right there.  That way, you do not wake up shivering in the middle of the night.

Though it may seem a little 'space age-y,' I think wireless thermostats are something to consider for your own home.  Have questions? Contact A.B. May!