We’re all looking for ways to cut corners in this bad economy. Of course, we still want to �keep up with the Joneses� as the saying goes. The only way we can do that is if we spend money knowing that we’re going to get a huge return on what we’ve spent. It seems that the EverSense thermostat is trying to be one of those items that will not only save you money, but will combine several functions into one device.
The EverSense thermostat will not only regulate the temperature in your home, but will also keep track of where you are so it can turn on the heat or air conditioning whenever you get within a certain distance of your home. This could be a huge energy saver, as you could� turn the temperature down when you leave, and then have it toasty exactly when you get home. However, this little box costs $349, because it has also added in a media player that can playback music from your iPhone through speakers on either side of it. Seeing as most of us already have a docking station with speakers, this is a rather useless function, and may not make it worth its price.
Distance isn’t really relevant, although it’s a nice idea. I work about 6 miles from home, and it takes me about 45 minutes to do the journey. My heating takes about an hour to get up to the demand temperature (assuming it’s fairly cold outside), so this thing probably wouldn’t ever do the right thing for me.
All that said, getting away from fixed timers and on/off behaviour is a good thing, even if not perfect in this case (for me).