Home Alone

One of the scariest things about leaving home for a couple of months is leaving your home alone. Especially for a worry wart like me. Lots of things can go wrong in a house unattended, especially during a Minnesota winter. I was fine until I saw the weather had turned bitter cold at home. I was concerned that a snafu of some sort would leave my house exposed with pipes freezing and bursting.

Thanks to the kindness of neighbors and family, the house was checked a number of times and the furnace was running and all was fine, but I knew I could do better. There are wifi enabled thermostats on the market that allow you to check and manage your HVAC system from an app on your phone.

Philip and Karla both have the ecobee 3 lite smart thermostat so I looked into it and got one too. Xcel Energy even has a rebate program that makes it a pretty good deal. 

I bought the thermostat from Xcel for $50 (it's $169 on Amazon). I received a $75 credit on my next electric bill for installing it myself. Then every year in October I receive a $25 credit on my electric bill. What's the catch? I'm now enrolled in the AC Rewards program, which gives Xcel the right to turn my thermostat up a couple degrees on really hot summer days when demand for electricity peaks. You are allowed to opt out up to 3 times per cooling season. Karla said she doesn't remember any time last summer when she was notified that Xcel was going to adjust her thermostat.

This thermostat will tap into your inner geek. Phil and Amanda even talk to theirs. "Alexa, turn up the thermostat 2 degrees". You can get all kinds of reports about your energy usage that help you be a better consumer but I have not looked into them yet. Next time I go on a trip this thermostat will give ME a little peace of mind and my kind neighbor Sharon a little rest.