These days, everything is going digital! Even your home comfort can join the 21st century when you install a new programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats are one of the least expensive and simplest ways to conserve energy in your home year-round. They raise your heating and cooling equipment’s comfort and convenience levels by giving you complete full-time control over your temperature settings. These thermostats allow you to boost your fuel efficiency by syncing your comfort equipment’s schedule with your family’s schedule. Some Wi-Fi enabled smart thermostats can even be controlled via smartphone, giving you the power to adjust your home heating from anywhere in the world.
The U.S. government’s ENERGY STAR® program offers the following tips to save with a programmable thermostat:
- Choose the right model: Programmable thermostats come with different programming capacities. A 5+2 day thermostat will allow you to set the temperature at one level for the entire work week while keeping a different setting for the weekend. A 5-1-1 thermostat will allow more flexibility on the weekends when your schedule may vary. A 7-day thermostat will allow you to set different schedules for each day of the week.
- Program the thermostat for vacation time: When you’re going on a vacation, make sure to set the thermostat to an energy-saving temperature for the duration of the trip. During the winter, do not set your thermostat below 55ºF to minimize the risk of a pipe freezing.
- Install your thermostat away from direct heating and cooling sources: Setting a thermostat near a direct heating or cooling source can lead to incorrect temperature readings. Keep your thermostat in a central location away from these sources for the most accurate temperature control.
- Resist the urge to override set temperatures: Every time you alter the pre-programmed temperature, you’ll use extra energy, which could show up in your next energy bill.
According to ENERGY STAR®, the average household spends more than $2,000 a year on energy bills – about half of which goes to heating and cooling. Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings!
Take control of your comfort by contacting F.C. Haab and purchasing a programmable thermostat today.
