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Geothermal heating System is a renewable energy source that draws power from the earth. The energy is extracted by a loop of underground pipes, which in turn heats your home.
All heating systems require a thermostat to control them, and a geothermal heating system is no exception.
As of 2023, The world is moving more and more towards smart home devices and due to this reason traditional thermostats are becoming obsolete. Smart thermostats are the new preferred choice of most of the buyers when it comes to controlling their home’s temperature.
In this article, we will explore some of the best smart thermostat for Geothermal heating systems.
1.Ecobee Smart Thermostat (Best overall smart thermostat for geothermal)
Ecobee is an industry giant when it comes to smart thermostats. After a lot of research and reading user reviews, it is our top pick as the best overall smart thermostat for geothermal.
Fully compatible with Geothermal/Heat pump systems
Talking about compatibility first, the Ecobee smart thermostat is fully compatible with nearly all types of GT (Geothermal) systems.
Ecobee will allow you to control multiple different units of your HVAC System including the backup electric system that comes with Geothermal systems. Overall, It is a great smart thermostat for heat pump systems!
Easy to Install
Ecobee thermostat is pretty easy to install; the whole process takes around 30-40 minutes. Moreover, it does not require a C-wire for installation, which removes the extra hassle.
Once you have installed Ecobee geothermal smart thermostat, you have certainly entered into a new era of energy saving; this smart thermostat will save a remarkable amount of electricity, cutting around 26% of your apartment’s heating/cooling cost.
A unique feature that most of the other smart thermostats don’t offer is its ability to work with Smart Sensors. This can help you achieve an even greater amount of efficiency and hence reducing the extra burden on your pocket!
Moreover, Smart Sensors, will help you keep your home’s temperature even.
Geo-location feature to avoid unnecessary operation
The Geo-location feature of Ecobee detects when you are away from your home and shuts down the operation in order to save energy.
Moreover, Ecobee pre-heats/cools your home before you arrive so that you can have a cozy environment to release your day’s stress.
This feature unleashes the true power of smart thermostats and you will feel a marked difference after replacing your traditional thermostat with the Ecobee smart thermostat.
Last but not the last, the Ecobee thermostat can easily be controlled from anywhere around the world using the Ecobee smartphone app.
This gives you true control at your fingertips and helps you change your home’s temperature from anywhere you want.
Ecobee is also compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and Homekit etc.
2.Honeywell Home RCHT8610WF T5 Smart Thermostat
Honeywell T5 is another great pick when you are talking about a smart thermostat for geothermal system. This is because, it’s highly compatible with most Geothermal systems or Heat pumps.
Temperature limits and Notifications
Using the Honeywell app, you can set the upper and lower temperature limits for your home. No matter how high or low someone sets the temperature, the temperature cannot go beyond the limit set by you.
Moreover, since it is 7-day programmable you can easily set schedule for your guests for different days.
The Honeywell app will also notify you if there are some maintenance or updates pending.
Great Compatibility and Integration
The Honeywell smart thermostat has highly compatible with most HVAC Systems including the Geothermal Heat pump systems with electric backup.
Specifically talking about T5, it is the most-preferred Honeywell Geothermal thermostat and has great user-reviews as well.
Moreover, it can easily be integrated with all smart home assistants including Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Homekit, IFTTT, Cortana, turning your home into a true smart home!
Due to Adaptive Recovery feature, the thermostat learns how long it takes to reach a certain temperature and automatically runs your HVAC system beforehand. This will allow to have cozy environment in your home as soon as you enter!
Apart from that, the Geofencing feature ensures that your HVAC system doesn’t run when no one is around, hence saving energy!
3. Google Nest Thermostat
Google Nest is another big name when it comes to great smart thermostats.
Although Nest is not geothermal specific, it is another great thermostat that can be connected to Geothermal systems. I personally have seen Nest in many houses with Geothermal and it works like a charm. Not just that, but there’s more to Nest.
Simplest Installation out of all thermostats
Google Nest is hands down the simplest thermostat to install. The entire process takes 30 minutes or less and there are no hidden complications.
Moreover, it is compatible with 85% of heating and cooling Systems, making it a great choice. This means that Nest thermostat is for geothermal systems and it has no compatibility issues.
Smart Home integration and Maintenance
Nest is closely in contact with the Google Home app and sends it notifications if your Geothermal or any other HVAC System requires maintenance.
Moreover, Nest is compatible with Google Assistant as well as with Amazon Alexa, making it a great wifi thermostat with voice assistant integration.
I personally believe that this is a must have feature in modern-day thermostats, and therefore Nest fulfils this need!
Nest is Energy Star certified so it is quite efficient at saving energy. It achieves this in a number of ways.
Firstly, you have remote control through Google Home app (on both Android and iOS), which means you can easily set schedules to save energy.
Secondly, your Nest thermostat will turn down your HVAC system when no one is around.
Ability to lock and set temperature limits
Another great feature to prevent your Nest thermostat from accidental touches is its ability to get locked. You can easily set up a PIN to prevent unauthorized access and touches by kids at home.
4.Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
Last but certainly not the least, Emerson Sensi Wi-fi thermostat is another choice of many users when it comes to choosing the best thermostat for geothermal furnace.
It is fully compatible with geothermal and also provides the necessary smart thermostat features that include:
7-day scheduling and remote Accessibility
Emerson is a programmable thermostat that can be scheduled differently for all 7-days. This means you can have it programmed differently for different days according to your daily schedule.
You can control your smart thermostat’s temperature using the Emerson smart phone app. This means it has remote accessibility and also Geofencing; it turns down when no one is around, saving a lot of energy of your Airbnb unit.
Moreover, you can set temperature limits and lock the thermostat’s screen to avoid unnecessary temperature changes by your Airbnb guests.
Overall, the Emerson thermostat saves around 23% of your HVAC energy!
App-guided Installation and Configuration
The Emerson app provides step by step guidance during the installation and configuration of the smart thermostat.
This means that you can easily replace your Airbnb unit’s traditional thermostat easily.
Moreover, in most applications C wire is not required, making it even more flexible to install.
Energy Usage and Humidity Monitoring
You can easily monitor your home’s monthly energy usage in the mobile app
Moreover, Emerson app also provides signs on the mobile app and the thermostat screen whenever maintenance of your HVAC system is due.
The thing I admire the most in Emerson smart thermostat is its high value for money.
If you are looking for a smart thermostat under $100, look no further! The Emerson thermostat costs around $100, yet offer all the necessary features that should be there in a smart thermostat for rental property.
5.Lux Products TX9600TS Programmable
Lux is a lesser-known brand of Smart thermostats, yet I believe that it’s a remarkable thermostat that is worth mentioning when it comes to geothermal heating.
High Level of Compatibility
Luckily, the Lux TX9600TS is compatible with a lot of HVAC systems and it is no surprise that it is also fully compatible with Geothermal Systems/Heating Pumps.
You can program Lux thermostat differently for all 7 days of the week according to your desired schedule or you can make different schedules for weekends and week days.
Ability to lock the thermostat and the temperature ranges
You can lock the screen of this Lux thermostat so that it can’t be accessed by unauthorized people.
Moreover, you can set temperature limits so the temperature doesn’t go above or below the set limits.
Moreover, this Lux thermostat is quite cheap, yet it offers a lot of smart features that are necessary!
The unit is cheaper than comparable model and provides great value-for-money.
Ability to set swing temperature
Interestingly, you can adjust the swing temperature on Lux thermostat. Swing temperature is the amount of temperature variance the thermostat will allow from the set temperature before turning the geothermal system on and off.
A properly adjusted swing temperature allows the HVAC system to run more efficiently. This means that Lux thermostat ensures greater level of flexibility and accuracy, making it another great smart thermostat for Geothermal.
Final Thoughts
To sum it up, the smart thermostats that I have listed in this article are all great choices for Geothermal heating Systems. They are highly compatible and are loaded with great energy-saving features.
Personally, I would recommend you Ecobee smart thermostat because I have personally seen a lot of happy users of Ecobee for Geothermal systems. Moreover, it has great user reviews and lesser complaints!
However, if budget is a concern for you then the Emerson Sensi or Lux thermostat will also perform the task efficiently.
I hope you make the right choice according to your precise requirement and turn your home into a true smart home.
Buying Guide – Smart Thermostat for Geothermal
There are some smart thermostat features you should consider when buying a smart thermostat for your Geothermal System. These are:
Compatibility
First and foremost, the Smart Thermostat should be compatible with a Geothermal HVAC system, like all the thermostats we explored above.
Remote accessibility
This is a great feature for all smart thermostats. Remote accessibility allows you to control your smart thermostat even when you are away from your home. This is achieved by using smartphone apps (iOS and Android). Most Smart Thermostats have this feature, and they come with the smartphone apps.
Ability to lock/set temperature ranges
This is very essential when it comes to smart thermostats. Locking temperature ranges prevents your smart thermostat to go beyond the set limits. Accidental touches by kids/toddlers or guests might cause temperature to reach undesirable points. Hence, a great smart thermostat is one which allows to set/lock temperature ranges.
Programmable
Geothermal smart thermostats should be programmable. This ensures the ability to set different schedules for different days. This ensures flexibility for different days and gives you full control over your home’s temperature.
FAQs – Smart Thermostat for Geothermal
Does geothermal system need special thermostat?
When it comes to Geothermal, you need to control air-sourced and ground-sourced (geothermal) heat pump systems that are doing heating and cooling duty.
All thermostats that are “heat pump” compatible can be used with Geothermal systems.
Will Nest thermostat work with geothermal?
The Google Nest Thermostat works with 95% of 24V heating and cooling systems, including gas, electric, forced air, heat pump, radiant, oil, hot water, solar, and geothermal.
Is geothermal better than HVAC?
According to the EPA, a geothermal heating and cooling system can reduce energy consumption and corresponding emissions by more than 40 percent as compared to an air-source heat pump, and by over 70 percent as compared to standard heating and cooling equipment.
Hence Geothermal is better than HVAC in terms of energy usage as well as it is environment friendly as compared to natural gas systems.
Do you need AC if you have geothermal?
Geothermal systems can be used for cooling as a geothermal heat pump is actually a two-in-one HVAC system used for both heating and cooling.
Despite the misleading name, geothermal “heat pumps” are just as effective at cooling your home in the summer as they are at heating it in the winter.
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