You're definitely not alone in feeling that way. When I first installed mine, I loved the sleek look and the promise of convenience, but I couldn't help wondering exactly what it was learning about me and how much data it was quietly recording. One weekend, I had family over unexpectedly, and the thermostat acted like we broke some unspoken rule by being home at an unusual time—it kept trying to set itself back to "away mode," which was a bit annoying to say the least.
Still, despite these quirks, I've noticed a real difference in my energy bills, which is great given how much I'm already spending on keeping my home comfortable. But like you said, transparency matters. If companies could be clearer about what they're collecting and give us easy ways to tweak or even reset the learning algorithm ourselves...that'd go a long way toward easing some of those nagging concerns.
Had a similar experience myself—installed mine right after moving into my custom build, thinking it'd simplify things. But the first month was a bit of a wrestling match. It kept assuming I was away during weekdays (I work from home), so I'd be mid-call and suddenly notice the room getting chilly. Took some digging through settings to manually override its "learning." Once dialed in though, it's been pretty solid and definitely cut down on costs. Still, clearer instructions upfront would've saved me some headaches...
Went through something similar when I first installed mine. Took a couple weeks to stop randomly freezing me out mid-day. Once it learned my routine though, it's been smooth sailing and bills are noticeably lower. Definitely worth the initial hassle, imo.
Mine drove me nuts at first too—kept turning down the heat right when I was getting comfy in the evenings. Thought I'd wasted money on a gimmick. But after a month or so, it finally figured out my schedule and now I barely touch it. Can't say I've noticed huge savings yet, but convenience alone makes it feel worth it...mostly. Still not convinced it's a must-have, but it's definitely grown on me.
I had a similar rollercoaster experience with mine. At first, I felt like I was babysitting the thing—constantly overriding its choices because it thought it knew better than me (spoiler: it didn't). But after about three weeks, it settled down and started getting it right. If you're still on the fence, here's what helped me:
1. Give it time to learn your habits—seriously, patience is key here.
2. Check the schedule it creates periodically and tweak it as needed. Mine kept assuming I was asleep at 9 pm (I wish!).
3. If you haven't yet, play around with the app settings. There's usually a way to tone down the aggressive "eco" mode if it's driving you crazy.
Savings-wise, I noticed a modest drop in my bills after about two months—not huge, but noticeable enough to make me smile. Mostly though, it's the convenience factor that won me over. Now, I barely even glance at the thermostat unless I'm feeling extra picky...or if guests are over and I want to pretend I'm tech-savvy.
