The Northwest Smart Thermostat Research Study was a collaboration amongst ten utility and energy efficiency organization partners along with the Northwest Power & Conservation Council and Regional Technical Forum staff members, managed by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA).
The primary objective of the Northwest Smart Thermostat Research Study was to develop a method to estimate energy savings for smart thermostats based on thermostat performance metrics. To do this, the Apex team (Apex Analytics, LLC; CLEAResult; and Energy350) attempted to establish if a statistically significant relationship between energy savings from billing data analysis and thermostat metrics exists and was stable across thermostat characteristics. Secondary objectives included determining regional baseline thermostat behavior and determining energy savings from smart thermostats with sufficient reliability, while controlling for other changes through a comparison group.
Key Findings include:
- Smart thermostat installation resulted in statistically significant energy savings
- Major home and life changes occurring in a similar timeframe to thermostats impacted energy savings substantially
- Energy savings were insufficiently correlated with thermostat metrics to establish a method
