Smart Thermostats

A thermostat is the brain of an HVAC system. It communicates with the furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump, telling the system when to turn on and when the desired temperature has been reached. The thermostat has temperature sensors that enable it to know your home’s temperature. 

Today’s newer units are digital thermostats and can automatically switch between heating and cooling based on the indoor temperature.

A programmable thermostat is a thermostat that allows you to set a heating and cooling schedule based on when you’re home and awake, when you’re asleep, and when you’re away at work, as well as other schedules. Some allow you to set a different schedule for every day of the week, while others have a weekday schedule and a weekend schedule.

Programmable thermostats give you increased comfort, help you save energy, and can help lower your utility bills depending on your heating and cooling habits. They will even tell you when it’s time to change your air filter or humidifier pad.

A smart thermostat is a Wi-Fi thermostat that connects to the internet and allows you to control the temperature and HVAC peripherals from your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer, no matter where you are. Coming home from work early and want the house to be comfortable when you get there? No problem.  Left for vacation without putting the thermostat into vacation mode? No worries.

Some smart thermostats can even learn your temperature preferences and set a schedule. This saves energy and can save you money on your energy bills. When you get a Trane smart thermostat, you can sign up to allow your dealer to use Trane Diagnostics. This allows your dealer to access information from your thermostat to tell them what’s going on with your HVAC system. This gives the potential for them to diagnose and even fix a problem remotely.

If you see the word Hold on your smart or programmable thermostat, it means you can press a button or the touchscreen to hold the temperature at a certain level. This can be helpful if you have guests who need a warmer temperature than your normal schedule would provide, for example. 

You can set it to Hold the temperature for a specific amount of time, and then depending on the model, the thermostat will return to its normal schedule. Sometimes you have to remember to turn off the Hold. Hold is not the same as Vacation Mode, which generally means you want to set the temperature much lower or higher than you would want it if you were home.

The best home thermostat is one that is compatible with your HVAC system and one that has features you will use. If you’re not very tech-savvy, you might not use all of the features of a smart thermostat, but the remote diagnostics feature of smart thermostats may be appealing to you.

Whether you’re considering thermostat replacement because your old thermostat doesn’t work anymore or you’re getting a new HVAC system and are trying to decide between Trane thermostats, talk with your local Trane dealer about your best options.

Your thermostat replacement cost will vary depending on the model you choose. Your final cost will include the product cost and the cost of thermostat installation. This cost is included in the cost of more comprehensive services such as HVAC replacement or installation. For optimal results, you should have an HVAC professional install and set up your programmable thermostat or smart thermostat.

If your Trane thermostat is not working, check out the following for help.

• Troubleshooting tips
• Trane Home Support 
• Trane thermostat manuals

If you are still having problems, contact your local Trane dealer for assistance.