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How They Save You Money (and Make Your Home More Comfortable)

The use of smart thermostats in Canada is one of the factors that contribute to homeowners’ heating and cooling expenses being reduced by approximately 8-20%, with the added benefit of a consistent and more pleasant temperature in the different rooms throughout the year. In a city such as Metro Vancouver, with its humid winters and hotter summers, this combination of savings and comfort makes smart controls a very practical upgrade, thus making it a great investment. (source)

What Is a Smart Thermostat?

A smart thermostat is a Wi-Fi-connected device that controls the heating in your house and uses sensors and scheduling to do it better than a manual one. Besides, many models can link up with smartphones and voice assistants, so you can change the temperature from any place in the Lower Mainland, whether you are working downtown or on vacation on Vancouver Island. (source)

Smart thermostats are unlike traditional thermostats in their ability to adapt to users’ patterns of life. They can learn by monitoring human activity when the prospective occupants are home, asleep, or away, and adjust accordingly. This so-called “set it and forget it” technique is very helpful for families living in Vancouver, as in this bustling city, nobody has the luxury of time needed to keep changing the thermostat settings throughout the day. (source)

How Smart Thermostats Save You Money

Smart thermostats primarily reduce expenses by cutting down on unnecessary heating and cooling but still maintaining the desired comfort level. In Canadian residences, surveys and monitoring data show that the average smart thermostat user can save in heating and cooling bills around 8-20% if the installation and proper usage of smart controls are done. (source)

​Key ways they cut your bills include:

• Automatic setbacks: The thermostat lowers the temperature when you are at work or asleep, then warms your Vancouver home back up before you return or wake.
• ​Learning and optimization: Over time, it learns how quickly your specific home in a damp coastal climate heats and cools, so it avoids overshooting and short‑cycling that wastes energy.
• ​Zonal control (where available): In multi‑zone systems or homes with multiple thermostats, you can avoid heating little‑used rooms as much as high‑traffic living areas.

For a substantial part of the Canadian population, the cutting down of 8% or more in energy bills results in an approximate saving of 50–100 dollars per year in heating and cooling costs. Besides that, the savings can be even more for a house equipped with a larger cooling and heating system or with less efficient equipment. After a few years, such savings generally offset the initial cost of the thermostat, especially when the rebates are considered. (source)

Rebates and Incentives in BC

In British Columbia, the utility companies and the provincial government periodically introduce rebate programs that, together with the smart thermostat, make the latest in heating and cooling technology more affordable for users. Such incentives are of great importance to the Metro Vancouver residents who depend on natural gas or electric baseboards for their home heating. (source)

Examples of recent and ongoing support include:

• FortisBC smart thermostat rebates of up to about 150 dollars for eligible ENERGY STAR certified models in existing homes heated by natural gas.
• ​BC Hydro has been giving out instant discounts and has seasonal offers during which select smart thermostats like Nest, Ecobee, and Mysa have had 50–100 dollar point‑of‑sale savings for the customers throughout the promotional period.
• CleanBC Better Homes programs have recognized smart thermostats as part of bundled energy‑efficiency upgrades, and this has allowed homeowners to stack incentives when they combine thermostat upgrades with improvements like better insulation or high‑efficiency heating equipment.

Since the rebate details are subject to change, it is advisable for homeowners in Vancouver to check the current offers from FortisBC, BC Hydro, and CleanBC or to consult a local HVAC contractor in order to get the best value for their money. (source)

Comfort Benefits for Vancouver Homes

Smart thermostats are good for more than just reducing utility bills; they also improve the comfort in the Lower Mainland homes by making them more consistently comfortable during the wet winters and the hot summers. The functions such as adaptive recovery and remote control, together with humidity-aware operation, are particularly beneficial in coastal areas. (source)

​Notable comfort advantages include:

• Less drastic temperature variations: The thermostat makes a prediction about the temperature and accordingly controls the equipment by gradually increasing or decreasing its operation, thus minimizing the common issue of “too hot, then too cold” that comes with older thermostats.
• From your phone, you can control the temperature in your house: In case the traffic on the Lions Gate or Massey Tunnel takes longer than you thought, then just through your phone, you can push back your heating or cooling timing so that you won’t have to pay for conditioning an empty house.
• Improved atmosphere indoors: Some types of smart thermostats come with air quality or humidity sensors, which maintain a more pleasant indoor environment during Vancouver’s wet and rainy days or summertime with all the wildfires around.

Besides, households equipped with heat pumps—which is the main technology for BC’s carbon-free heating—could further enhance their smart thermostats with the ability to switch automatically between the operation modes suitable for warm seasons or cold snaps. This aspect of the Metro Vancouver area, where winter temperatures are frequently cool and damp but not very cold, and heat pumps can be made to run very efficiently if properly controlled. (source)

Smart Thermostats and Smart Homes

Smart thermostats are considered the first step into the world of smart homes, especially in modern cities where technology is well embraced like Vancouver. Since they are the “control centre” of the most significant energy loads, connecting them to other devices greatly enhances both the comfort and the cost savings that can be achieved. (source)

The types of devices that are commonly integrated together in Lower Mainland houses and work effectively include:

• Voice assistants and apps: Adjust the temperature via voice commands or mobile apps while cooking, entertaining, or getting ready for a hike on the North Shore.
• Smart sensors: Install room sensors in the coldest or warmest spots of the house, such as basement suites or top-floor bedrooms, to deliver perfect temperature where people are actually spending time.
• ​Automation with lights and locks: Certain systems allow for the linking of your thermostat schedule to the occupancy data collected from the smart locks or motion sensors; subsequently, they can turn the heating or cooling down when no one is at home.

Smart thermostats can also be applied in strata properties and light commercial buildings in the entire Metro Vancouver region, together with the support of multi-zone systems, to be more precise in monitoring energy consumption. This can lead to reduced operating costs and, at the same time, increased comfort for the residents or tenants in places like Surrey, Coquitlam, and New Westminster. (source)

Reasons to Choose a Vancouver HVAC Professional

Even though numerous smart thermostats promote easy DIY installation, requiring the service of a licensed HVAC professional is usually the most prudent way to ensure compatibility and accrual of maximum savings. This is particularly true for older homes in Vancouver, homes with several heating systems, or properties using heat pumps, boilers, or electric baseboards. (source)

A contractor who is local and has a good deal of experience can:

• Establish that your furnace, boiler, heat pump, or baseboard heaters are compatible, and that the low-voltage or line-voltage wiring is being done correctly and safely.
• Create schedules and comfort settings that truly correspond to your lifestyle and the climate of Metro Vancouver, rather than generic presets.
• Provide assistance on the FortisBC, BC Hydro, and CleanBC rebate paperwork so that you don’t end up losing out on any existing incentives.

AceTech Plumbing & Heating Ltd., which is based in Metro Vancouve,r is a full HVAC service provider that covers smart thermostat installation, configuration, and support in addition to furnace, boiler, heat pump, and plumbing work. The team provides homeowners in the Lower Mainland with 24/7 emergency HVAC service and personalized thermostat solutions that are designed to meet the specific needs of each home. (source)

For smart thermostat installation, upgrades, or inquiries regarding what will work best in your Vancouver‑area home, contact AceTech Plumbing & Heating Ltd.

• ​Phone: +1(844)704-4177
• Service area: Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, and the broader Metro Vancouver region.
• Website: https://acetechltd.ca/ 

​AceTech’s licensed HVAC technicians can help you choose the right smart thermostat, install it safely, set it up for maximum comfort and savings, and walk you through rebates available in British Columbia.