How to Have an Outlet Turn On by Your Thermostat-The Easy Way
Do you ever get annoyed when you have to get up and walk across the room to turn on a light or an appliance? How about if you have to go outside to turn on your sprinklers? Don't you wish you could just tell the lights or sprinklers to turn on from across the room? Well, here's how, and it's easier than you might think. With this easy trick, you can have your outlet turned on by your thermostat!
What Is a Thermostat?
A thermostat is a device that measures the temperature of a room or area. The thermostat has a sensor that turns on the heat when it gets too cold and turns off the heat when it gets too warm. Your thermostat can be connected to a single outlet or multiple outlets. The most common way for a thermostat to turn things on is with an electromagnet. When the temperature is right, the magnet flips on and causes an appliance or light to turn on.
How Do You Make Your Thermostat Turn On Your Outlet?
To do this, you need a relay. A relay is an electrical switch that can be turned on and off by another device, such as your thermostat. The most common way to use a relay is with the help of an electromagnet. In this example, we'll have an outlet that is controlled by our thermostat.
How to Connect It!
- Connect the red wire from your thermostat to the "hot" terminal on your outlet or light fixture. Make sure you also connect a black wire from your thermostat to the "neutral" terminal of your outlet or light fixture. The neutral wire is usually white or grey in color. If you are not sure which one is neutral, just connect it to both terminals and see what happens!
- Now comes the exciting part: connecting the relay! Connect one end of each of your wires (red and black) to one side of each of the two screws on the relay. On the other side of each of the two screws, you'll connect your "coil" wires—the wires that will activate the electromagnet. Connect one wire to one terminal on the relay and another wire to another terminal on the relay.
- Now for the final connection: connect your remaining red and black wires from your thermostat to either end of your electromagnet (the terminals marked "coil").
- Connect to an outlet or light fixture! Flip on your thermostat and turn it up! Your outlet should be turned on and off at this point. If not, check all of your wirings again. It's best to have a multimeter handy for testing every connection in case something is wrong with any one of them. You can purchase a multimeter at most hardware stores for less than $25.
Congratulations! You've successfully built a remote-controlled outlet or light fixture. You can now control your lights, a fan, or even a space heater with your thermostat.
The Advantages of Having Your Outlet Turned On By Your Thermostat
Using your thermostat to control your outlet is a great way to save money on your energy bill. You can set it to turn on and off at certain times of the day, even when you're not home. This means that the thermostat alone will be running whenever you're not there, and you won't be using any more energy than you would if you were just leaving the lights and fan on all day. This also means that, if your thermostat has a Wi-Fi connection, it will be able to communicate with other devices in your home as well as with other thermostats in your area. This is called a "home network," and it's what allows other devices in your home to communicate with one another wirelessly. You can use this feature for many things--for instance, if you have a room that gets really cold during the winter months but stays warm during the summer months (or vice versa), it might not be enough to just turn the thermostat off and on, which would only affect that one room. Rather, you could set it so that your thermostat turns on the heat when it gets cold in your home but turns off the heat when it's hot. It's also important to note that you can use your thermostat to control multiple outlets. This means that you can have two or more lights or fans turn on at different times of day, for example. You may want one light to come on and off at certain times during the day—say, when you get home from work at night—and another light or fan to go on and off at certain times during the day—say, when you get up in the morning. You could even turn one light on then immediately turn it off (to save energy) while another light is in use--to keep the lights on during the day while you're at work. You can also use your thermostat to control other devices in your home, such as heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. For instance, you could have a timer turn on or off the air conditioning system when it's time to cool or heat your home. You could also use a thermostat to turn on or off an exhaust fan in your home—a fan that works to circulate indoor air—using a timer so that it is only turned on when you're not at home. You can even use a thermostat to control window and door blinds, which are often used for privacy purposes.
Final Thoughts
What makes a thermostat so great is that it allows you to control the temperature of your home with just a few simple steps. If you're looking for a way to save energy, make your home more comfortable, and reduce your utility bills, use a thermostat to do both. Having your outlets turned on by a thermostat is a great way to save energy. When your home is too hot or too cold, you can turn your thermostat up or down to make sure that your home stays comfortable.
