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With winter approaching and the temperature starting to rise, it’s time to turn off your trusty fan again, or if you’re lucky enough to have one installed, start making use of your air conditioner. While there’s nothing quite as refreshing as running the air conditioner on one of those hot days where even the slightest movement turns you into a puddle of sweat, the spike in your energy bill will quickly ruin the your good mood
If you’re looking to add another piece of technology to your smart home ecosystem, or maybe you’re looking for a way to control your air conditioning usage, you’ll be glad to know there’s a solution. With a smart controller installed, you will be able to control your air conditioner from anywhere with your phone while setting schedules that will help you reduce energy consumption.
Here’s how they work, along with some tips to help you stay cool this summer.
What is a smart air conditioner controller and how does it work?
Image: iStock/I’m looking for you
Over the past few years, we’ve seen almost every piece of home tech receive some sort of smart home compatibility, whether it’s something as simple as coffee mugs, light bulbs, or plugs. So it probably comes as no surprise that a smart solution to controlling your air conditioner also exists.
Smart air conditioner controllers are similar to the wall-mounted thermostat units you’ll find in some homes, these devices are designed to monitor and control air conditioning use no matter where you are.
Did you leave the house in a hurry and don’t remember if you turned off the air conditioning? You can jump into the smart controller’s companion app and make sure you don’t come home with an active AC and a hefty energy bill.
A smart controller also gives you the option to schedule when the air conditioner is active. If you always leave or get home at certain times, you can have it turn off when you leave and turn back on right when you walk back in the door. If you want to fall asleep with the air conditioner running, but don’t want it to run all night and turn your room into a freezer, you can set it to turn off automatically at a certain time.
Depending on your controller, you can also use it to automatically detect the climate of the room it’s in and adjust the air conditioning based on your preferred comfort settings. Some air conditioner controllers also include virtual assistant support, allowing you to control them with voice commands. A nice feature for when you’re too hot to get off the couch.
The only problem is that the air conditioner must be controlled remotely, as a smart controller uses the remote’s infrared signal to activate it.
Which smart AC controllers do we recommend?
Tado Smart AC Control V3+
Image: Tado
A comfortable temperature and a reasonable electricity bill, what more could you ask for? The Tado V3+ is an incredibly intuitive smart controller for your air conditioner, allowing you to efficiently control it anytime, anywhere.
Using the location of your phone, the Tado will be able to tell if someone is home or not, so it will know not to activate in an empty house. The smart controller is also able to recognize whether a window is open or not and will automatically turn off the AC, so you don’t blast it in an open room.
You can access voice control with Google Assistant, Apple Homekit and Alexa compatible devices.
The Tado app will even provide you with information on how to improve your air conditioning usage, even how often you should open your windows for fresh air to help reduce the risk of mold. The Tado V3+ unit also includes a temperature display, so you can keep an eye on the room temperature at a glance.
Where to buy the Tado Smart AC Control V3+: Amazon Australia ($169) | eBay ($169) | Kogan ($169)
Sensibo Sky Smart AC controller
Image: Sensibo
Are you looking forward to coming home to a cold house after a long, hot day at work? With the Sensibo Sky smart controller, you’ll be able to program when the air conditioning is active, so it turns off the moment you leave and comes on a little before you get home.
With the Sensibo app, you can control and monitor your air conditioning wherever you are. The companion app includes a feature known as Climate React, which will automatically adjust your AC to your preferred levels, based on the current temperature and humidity of the room it’s in.
And if your phone is out of range, you can control the Sensibo Sky with voice commands using Alexa and Google Assistant compatible devices.
Where to buy the Sensibo Sky: Bing Lee ($149) | eBay ($149) | The Good Guys ($149)
Panasonic Air Conditioner Wi-Fi Controller
Image: Panasonic
Panasonic’s CZ-TACG1 air conditioner controller is quite subtle. You probably wouldn’t know what it’s for unless someone told you.
After connecting it to your home Wi-Fi network and downloading Panasonic’s Comfort Cloud app, you can control the temperature, fan speed and airflow of your air conditioner, while setting schedules to help to save energy.
This smart device can control up to 20 AC units per location and can also pair with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to control your air conditioner with voice commands. The companion app also allows you to monitor your power consumption, so you can compare your current usage with the past days/weeks/months/years.
Where to buy Panasonic Air Con Wi-Fi Controller: Catch ($249) | eBay ($198) | The Good Guys ($199)