Had my smart thermostat for 2 years before I realized the 'away' mode needed setup

I was wondering why my AC bill in Phoenix was still $220 in April when I was gone for 10 days, until a friend asked if I actually turned the thing to away mode. Turns out I just let it sit on 'home' and my wallet paid for that lesson - has anyone else missed a basic feature on a gadget for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagey6918d ago

my wallet paid for that lesson" - look, I get it sucks to get a higher bill, but this is on you for not reading the manual. These things are pretty straightforward. Away mode literally means you tell it you're not home. The default is to keep running like normal because that's what most people want. I had a neighbor complain about the same thing and I showed him the setup menu in 30 seconds. Two years is a long time to not notice a basic setting. Not gonna feel bad for someone who didn't spend 5 minutes learning how their stuff works.

finley93918d ago

most people want" - @sagey69 i gotta disagree with you there. i think most people buy a smart thermostat specifically so it can adjust when theyre gone, not so they have to manually flip a switch. the whole point is automation, right? if i wanted to mess with settings every time i left the house id just get a regular programmable one for half the price. the default should save energy, thats literally why this tech exists. not saying the guy cant learn his settings but the default makes no sense for a "smart" device.

the_anthony1d ago

Man this reminds me of my buddy who ran his AC for six months straight cause he didn't know there was a vacation mode.