This small $10 device helped me save big on my electric bill

As a homeowner, I’ve found it essential to find gadgets to help me save money or prevent bigger problems that could save me a headache in the long term. For example, smart home devices like the water alarm I have in my basement alert me if there’s a leak. As a first-time homeowner, I’ve had to learn a lot very quickly regarding what to look out for.

This includes the hot water heater, the house’s main electrical panel, and basic plumbing, but this also has me considering what device could potentially enhance my house.

Smart plugs
,

light bulbs
, speakers, security cameras, and more have come in handy. I also recently added a very useful, small device to my smart home setup that has helped me understand how to heat and cool my house better.

While a smart thermostat is helpful because I have a single-zone HVAC system, it’s difficult to understand how the temperature is different upstairs compared to downstairs. That’s why the Antonki room thermometer has become such an essential part of my smart home equation.

It gives me an accurate temperature reading

This isn’t always a given with a thermostat

The small and portable Antonki thermometer offers accuracy to within two degrees, which I found to be incredibly accurate. My daughter was only a few months old when I first purchased the Antonki room thermometer. It was important to be aware of what the temperature was in her room once she was sleeping in her crib.

With our thermostat downstairs and her room upstairs, it was difficult to understand exactly what the temperature was at a given time. We placed one of the Antonki thermometers outside her room and one inside. This gave us readings of the hallway and her bedroom anytime. The thermostat would frequently be set to a lower temperature for the house, but the upstairs was always a few degrees higher or lower.

It made me realize how to set my thermostat

I needed to avoid just setting a schedule

When I bought my home, I figured I could set the thermostat to a specific temperature or schedule and feel comfortable. But in the hot summer months or the cold winter, it became clear that I couldn’t do that. That’s because the temperature would always be slightly different upstairs and downstairs. A few degrees is not a significant change for most adults, but it can be for a newborn.

Understanding the right temperature to set the thermostat so that upstairs isn’t sweltering or too cold helped balance heating and cooling. Plus, once we got into the summer and the temperatures outside weren’t fluctuating as wildly, it allowed me to set an accurate overnight schedule.

It saved me money on the electric bill

Those first months were wild

During the summer, my hometown was hit with multiple power outages. When you have a small child, this is particularly concerning. Not only did one of the three monitors we used for her not work, but it also meant the air conditioning couldn’t turn on. With the Antonki, we could tell what the temperature was both upstairs and downstairs at a given time. Rather than carrying a thermometer up or down, they come in a pack of two.

Without power, we couldn’t see the temperature on the thermostat. If the temperature got too warm to be at home, we got in the car and left for a while. However, once the power was back up, it became easier to shift the cooling schedule. Rather than keeping it on full blast, easing it on and off saved money in the long run.

It also tells you how humid it is

This is important for the summer

The humidity where I live in New Jersey peaks in the summer. Not only are the temperatures hot, but the air is muggy and stagnant. For a homeowner, it’s essential to know if your home is humid because mold and mildew thrive in those environments. I eventually moved one thermometer into my basement as the previous owner experienced mold issues.

Following the thermometer’s humidity readings was crucial because it let me know when and at what level I should run a dehumidifier in the basement. Understanding the moisture levels in the basement has proved valuable, as I can adjust the dehumidifier to help combat the dampness int he air. While the electricity bill may slightly rise in that aspect, saving myself on cleaning bills for mold and mildew is worth it.

It can be stored easily

Place it where you need it

The design of the Antonki thermometer is great. It fits in your hand and has a small kickstand to prop it up on a table, shelf, counter, nightstand, or even floor. Two magnets on the back enable it to be stuck to a metal surface. This proved valuable when having it stick to a fridge or even an overhead stove exhaust, giving you real-time readings on how hot your kitchen gets while cooking.

Being able to store it wherever is a huge plus, too. I used the pair all over the house, easily moving them around. The fact that they cost less than $10 made them worth the price 100x over. I was surprised at how much use I got out of these thermometers, and I’m excited to continue using them. My wife has even suggested she might use them next year to help understand the temperature and humidity inside her terrarium as she grows seedlings for her garden.