Yeah, I had similar hopes about all the “smart” stuff making a difference on my bills, but honestly? Once I figured out which windows were letting in drafts, I just went old school and bought some weatherstripping. That made more of a dent in my heating costs than any sensor alert ever did. I get the appeal of checking everything from your phone, but after a while, it just felt like another thing to fiddle with.
About condensation—same deal here. First winter in my place, I was paranoid about mold or rot, but opening a window for a bit did the trick. Maybe it’s just not as big a deal with older houses that already “breathe” more, I dunno. I will say, the sensors did make me more aware of how uneven the temps are in different rooms, which is useful, but I’m not convinced it’s worth the price unless you’re super into data.
Would love to see some real world numbers on energy savings, because so far, the old tricks seem just as good.
Once I figured out which windows were letting in drafts, I just went old school and bought some weatherstripping. That made more of a dent in my heating costs than any sensor alert ever did.
That’s been my experience too—sometimes the low-tech fixes just work better. Curious, did you ever try using the sensors to actually pinpoint where the drafts were worst, or just go by feel? I’ve seen some folks use those temp sensors to map out cold spots, but in practice, I wonder if it really saves time over the old “hand by the window” test. Also, with older homes, do you think the air leaks are so obvious that tech isn’t really adding much value?
I’ve seen some folks use those temp sensors to map out cold spots, but in practice, I wonder if it really saves time over the old “hand by the window” test.
Honestly, I tried both when I moved in last year—got a couple cheap sensors on sale and stuck ’em around the living room and bedroom. Fun for about a week, but it turned out my “hand test” was just as reliable (plus, less fiddling with phone apps). In my case, the draftiest spot was so obvious I could practically see my curtains moving on a windy day.
My house is from the 60s, so I swear you can almost hear the wind whistle through the old frames. Weatherstripping was way less annoying than figuring out why the sensor kept disconnecting from WiFi. Maybe in a newer place or if you’re super into data, the sensors are cool, but for me, rolling up a towel and jamming it against the window did the trick just as well… and cost about $2.
Kind of wild how sometimes the low-tech fixes still win, even with all the gadgets out there.
Totally get where you’re coming from. I’ve had similar luck—sometimes the old-school tricks just work better, especially in drafty older homes. I tried messing with a sensor once and it kept dropping off my network, which was more hassle than it was worth. Rolling up a towel or adding some weatherstripping got me through plenty of winters. Nothing wrong with keeping it simple if it does the job.
I get the appeal of just rolling up a towel or slapping on some weatherstripping, but honestly, those quick fixes never lasted for me. I live in a place where it gets pretty cold and windy, and after a while, towels just started looking gross or shifting around. Weatherstripping helped a bit, but it needed replacing every season because it would peel off or get chewed up by the dog.
I was skeptical about smart sensors at first—seemed like another thing to set up and troubleshoot. But I tried one of those window sensors last winter, mainly out of curiosity to see if it would actually do anything. The setup was kind of annoying (had to reconnect it a couple times), but once I got it working, it actually paid off. The app pinged me when a window wasn’t closed all the way, which I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Turns out one window upstairs was letting in a draft for weeks. After fixing that, my heating bill dropped a bit—not a huge amount, but enough to notice.
Not saying smart stuff is always better—if you’re happy with towels and they work for your place, that’s cool. But for me, having something that tells me what’s actually open or leaking air without running around checking every window has been worth the hassle of setting it up. I guess it just depends on how much time you want to spend chasing drafts versus letting tech do some of the work.
Old school is fine if you’re not into gadgets or don’t want to mess with WiFi stuff. For me, though, the sensor kind of paid for itself after one winter. Just my two cents...