My electrician buddy said the $80 smart thermostat was a waste, he was dead wrong

Simon Grant · 2026-09-16T09:05:03.563485+00:00

Back in February my buddy Dave, who has run his own electrical shop for 20 years, said the smart thermostat was a waste of money and to just get a $30 programmable one. I listened at first, but my house in Boise was still burning 1,100 kWh a month and the bill hit $190 in March. So I swapped in the $80 smart one anyway and set it to ease off when nobody is home. Our April bill dropped to $128, and that's with the same habits we always had. Turns out Dave was right about wiring but wrong about this, the thing learned our schedule in about two weeks. Now I'm looking at a heat pump water heater, has anyone here made that switch and did the savings actually show up?

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My electrician buddy said the $80 smart thermostat was a waste, he was dead wrong | Climate Action - Opinions Matter