The thermostat was already installed in my home when we moved in. I tried looking up that particular model but the manufacturer no longer exists. I am convinced that the thermostat is more than thirty years old. It’s nothing more than a standard dial that needs to be manually adjusted. It offers no features beyond temperature setting and the plastic has yellowed with age. I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to consider replacing it. It simply didn’t occur to me that the thermostat has a big impact on the comfort of the home, efficiency of heating/cooling equipment and monthly expenses. Researching thermostats has been a surprise. I had no idea that technology had opened up so many convenient features. There are thermostat models that keep track of every adjustment for the first week after installation. The thermostat learns household patterns and preferences and creates a program to maximize energy savings and comfort. Other models include something called geofencing. The thermostat tracks the location of every family member’s smartphone. When the phones enter or exit a specified radius around the house, the device knows whether the living space is occupied or empty. It makes automatic adjustments so that residents always arrive home to ideal comfort. One of the main benefits of a smart thermostat is the ability to access adjustments, information and features through an app on a smartphone. I would like to be able to raise or lower temperature, get reminders for filter changes and receive alerts if there’s a power outage. I just can’t decide which make or model of thermostat to buy.