When the summer heat sets in, you want to be able to control your thermostat. Cooling your home at the right time, so that it’s comfortable when you and your family are at home, without racking up the expensive energy costs that can come with running your AC all day, while everyone is at work and school.

But installing a smart thermostat (also known as a WiFi thermostat) can help. You’ll be able to adjust the temperature inside your home from your smartphone. Here are five reasons to make the switch to a digital thermostat now, if you haven’t already.

Minimize Energy Costs

Perhaps the biggest reason to upgrade to a WiFi thermostat is for energy cost savings. With a smart thermostat, it’s easy to schedule your HVAC to run less while you’re out for the day, so you’ll use less energy by cooling your home only while you’re in it. You can program your digital thermostat to kick in right before family members are scheduled to start coming home so that your home is cooled to a perfect 72 degrees from the moment you walk in the door.

How much can you expect to save? Different manufacturers tout different levels of savings, but the Nest smart thermostat claims you’ll save 15 percent on cooling costs and 10 to 12 percent on heating costs. The manufacturers of the Ecobee smart thermostat claim customers save 23 percent on combined heating and cooling costs.

Track Your Energy Usage

Most digital thermostats allow users to track their energy usage. You can build a home energy profile that tells you how your energy usage has changed over time, how that’s likely to affect your energy costs in the future, and how you can adjust your heating and cooling preferences to decrease energy costs even more.

Control Your Thermostat Remotely

Another popular benefit of installing a WiFi thermostat is that it allows you to control the temperature in your home remotely. If you’re coming home early and want your home cooled before you arrive, you can simply log into your thermostat app and adjust your cooling schedule for the day. If you’re going on vacation, you can change your cooling schedule to keep the house warmer while you’re gone.

Got a vacation house to maintain? Your thermostat will send alerts to let you know if the interior temperature in your home has fallen below, or risen above your set limits, so you can monitor whether or not your HVAC is working properly from afar.