I just recently decided to replace our home’s thermostat. All of us were living with a plastic equipment that needed to be manually adjusted. I would frequently forget to raise or lower the setting before leaving the condo for the day. The furnace or cooling system would blast for hours, maintaining perfect comfort in an empty home. On those afternoons when I remembered to make the adjustment, both of us would return to an overheated or cold house. There was no opening of setting up a program that would accommodate our household schedule. I spent some time researching smart thermostats. While there are lots of different makes and models, they all allow access through an app on the iPhone, tablet or laptop. These current alternatives make it possible to raise or lower temperature settings, get information, monitor performance and utilize the many features from virtually somewhere at any time! Some of the models keep track of adjustments made during the first week after upgrade and build a schedule accordingly. I chose a thermostat that includes GPS tracking. The equipment recognizes the location of each family member’s smartphone. Whenever both of us enter or exit a set perimeter around the house, it makes adjustments to the operation of the furnace or cooling system; Plus, this model provides reminders to schedule service and replace air filters. It sends alerts if there is a power outage or a temperature swing. Since installing the current thermostat, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in the comfort of the home. I also care about the energy savings on our monthly energy bills. Those lower costs have helped to reclaim the investment into a better thermostat.