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How Do Smart Thermostats Work for Multifamily Communities?

By January 11, 2024No Comments7 min read

Imagine an ideal apartment community – It would have awesome amenities, reliable safety features, and (especially in today’s world) advanced smart technologies that tie it all together. A solution like smart thermostats can transform your apartment community so that it has all of this and more!

Smart thermostats can help to improve the day-to-day of your apartment management and maintenance teams. Your staff can remotely manage units (and regulate temperatures) from one platform, create automated and customized settings for all vacant units, and communicate with other smart devices across your multifamily community—and Quext’s solution can do all of this without the need for WiFi or a ton of bulky hardware. 

Quext’s IoT smart thermostat will transform multifamily living from untrustworthy and outdated, to reliable and smart. Quext works with owners and operators, learning and benefiting from their knowledge and experiences, to create smart solutions that meet multifamily needs. Quext’s patented smart thermostat provides features and benefits such as: 

  • Game-changing technology like an embedded smart-hub that uses LoRaWAN connectivity for greater reliability
  • Reduced hardware with customizable permissions
  • Energy-optimization features that help to save money
  • And more!

Let’s deep dive into what a smart thermostat is, what it can do, and why it’s a must-have in any modern day multifamily community. 

 

A multifamily resident using a Quext IoT smart thermostat.

Exploring the Capabilities of Smart Thermostats in Multifamily Settings

Adding smart thermostats to your multifamily settings will open up a wide range of opportunities and functionality for both operators and residents! They are designed to provide precise and personalized control over the heating and cooling systems in multifamily units. Using advanced sensors to continuously monitor the temperature in a space, smart thermostats can adjust the HVAC system to automatically regulate and maintain a comfortable environment. 

The Quext smart thermostat in your multifamily setting can also work based on the behavior that either the resident or community staff member chooses for them! A resident can create smart schedules that teach the thermostat to run a certain way based on, for example, the day of the week or the time of the day. These settings help to ensure that the residents’ thermostats align with their lifestyle! Even better, community staff can also customize thermostat schedules for vacant units. No more walking to each vacant unit (especially during bad weather!) to check and adjust thermostats. Staff members even have access to settings so that the smart thermostats automatically react based on the unit’s temperature. For example, Quext thermostats can be programmed to kick on if the temperature gets below a certain point! This helps to prevent freezing pipes, maintenance to a unit, and additional costs.

Another great reason to use smart thermostats (like what Quext can provide) is the communication they can have within your multifamily settings. Smart devices are no longer limited to individual, single-family homes; they can now be integrated into multifamily settings like apartment communities and student housing facilities! Quext smart thermostats have the ability to connect to a central management system, allowing for easy control and coordination between units, floors and even buildings! These communication abilities even enable property managers to efficiently manage energy usage—this brings savings to both residents and ownership. What a win-win! 

Looking for more benefits? Smart thermostats can communicate other smart devices within your multifamily settings like smart locks, lights, leak detectors and more! They can even integrate with voice assistants, enabling hands-free control and seamless automation. Quext takes all of this to an even greater level by utilizing LoRaWAN technology – a low power, wide area networking protocol designed to wirelessly connect devices and target key IoT requirements like communication, security and more! When LoRaWAN is installed on a community, it communicates with our custom built smart hub thermostats (inside of every unit) to make all of the magic happen. 

An illustration of smart devices used in Quext's IoT solution.

What Does a Smart Thermostat Do?

Let’s go back to the basics. So far we’ve looked at some really awesome features and capabilities, but now we should talk about primary functions and operations of a smart thermostat: temperature control, scheduling and energy optimization. 

One of the most used, key features of a smart thermostat is the device’s ability to provide temperature control. Gone is the need to get off the couch to manually adjust your thermostat when you’re in the middle of your favorite movie. With smart thermostats, you can easily set your desired temperature from your phone, whether you’re home or away, and let your smart thermostat do the rest! Rest assured that this smart device will ensure that you always come home to a cozy living space. (But don’t worry, you can still manually adjust your thermostat when you want to!).

What’s even better than temperature control? Smart scheduling control via your thermostat! Smart thermostats take convenience to the next level by allowing you to choose personalized thermostat settings that will automatically adjust based on your daily routine. For example, you might keep your home warm while you’re away, and then cool it off just before you arrive home. You’re in control of your comfort! 

Along with that individualized control comes energy savings! By optimizing energy usage, smart thermostats help you reduce energy consumption and lower utility bills, making intelligent decisions to maximize efficiency without compromising comfort. Have a power outage? No problem! Quext smart thermostats will continue to run on batteries so that you remain in control. 

A resident using the Quext IoT mobile app to control their smart thermostat in their apartment unit.

The Best Settings for Smart Thermostats

Now that you’re excited about using smart thermostats in multifamily settings, let’s make you an expert in using them by giving recommendations to setting up your devices to ensure optimal performance and energy efficiency. 

One of the easiest places to start is by utilizing the scheduling and vacant unit automation settings that we just learned about. Think about the seasonal changes that happen around your community. Then create thermostat schedules for vacant units around that need, and recommend your residents to do the same thing for their own units! These easy changes will not only prevent maintenance issues, but will also save on energy usage (and therefore save on dollars spent!). 

 

Overall, it’s easy to see that in today’s fast-paced world, smart technology has become essential, even down to the way we control the temperature in our home. Smart thermostats offer a range of functions and benefits that make our day-to-day easier, contribute to energy optimization, and enhance our comfort. And Quext IoT provides a patented solution that is custom built for multifamily settings. So reimagine your ideal community, this time with a Quext IoT smart thermostat there making your home life easier, more comfortable and smart! Pretty great, don’t you think?