In an attempt to help Chicagoans save money on energy bills, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) joined forces with ComEd and the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Environmental Law and Policy Center.  Educating the public on how to save money from their energy bills, the first piece of advice was to invest in a smart thermostat.

A recent announcement was made by these organizations that a new incentive will be put into place, giving customers an immediate rebate for the purchase of a smart thermostat which can be programmed to automatically adjust to specific living arrangements.  In other words, instead of having the air conditioner on 24/7, the thermostat will raise a few degrees while you’re out of the house and lower, just before you return.

It’s not just a smart thermostat that will do this.  smartphones and (Amazon) Alexa will do the same job.  But the advantage of a smart thermostat is that they actually figure out how to adapt to their users’ behavior, identify patterns and thereafter manage heating and cooling systems which will significantly reduce energy costs.