Glossary · Heating, cooling & ventilation

Smart thermostat

Also called: smart thermostats · Wi-Fi thermostat · connected thermostat · learning thermostat · programmable thermostat · ENERGY STAR smart thermostat

A Wi-Fi-connected thermostat that schedules, learns or adjusts temperatures automatically and can be controlled from your phone.

What it means

Smart thermostats make setback easy and can show energy-use reports. With a heat pump, choose one designed for heat pumps so setbacks don't trigger expensive auxiliary heat.

Why it matters in an audit

It's an inexpensive upgrade that many programs rebate, and the savings depend on actually using setbacks.

Typical numbers

Reference values with their sources. Your energy advisor’s report gives the figure for your own house.

What	Value	Source
Ontario HRSP smart thermostat rebate	$125 on homerenovationsavings.ca and $100 on saveonenergy.ca when both were checked on 2026-10-26; confirm before applying	homerenovationsavings.ca ↗
Setback savings (NRCan)	About 2% of heating energy for each 1°C of setback over 8 hours	natural-resources.canada.ca ↗

Sources

Learn more here

Thermostats and setbacks →

Related terms

Thermostat setback Lowering the heat (or raising the cooling setpoint) while you sleep or are away, then returning to normal before you need it.
Auxiliary / backup heat A second heat source — electric elements or a furnace — that helps a heat pump in very cold weather or during defrost.
Heat pump An electric system that moves heat instead of making it: out of the house in summer and into it in winter, using a refrigerant loop.
Ontario Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP) Ontario's home rebate program, run by Enbridge Gas and the province's Save on Energy, for insulation, windows, air sealing, heat pumps and more.
Time-of-use (TOU) pricing Electricity prices that change with the time of day, usually cheapest overnight and highest when demand peaks.

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