Programmable Thermostats & Energy Savings
With energy costs perpetually on the rise, saving money on energy bills is a major priority for Georgia homeowners. There are endless improvements you can make in your home to increase its efficiency and reduce your heating and cooling costs. One cost-effective way to lower heating bills is to install a programmable thermostat.
Programmable Thermostats Save You Money
How many times have you left the house or gone to bed only to remember hours later that you forgot to set back the thermostat? Remembering to change the settings before leaving the house or retiring for the evening is hard work, but forgetting to manage the thermostat can considerably increase your heating and cooling bills and waste a lot of energy.
Programmable thermostats allow you to personalize and automate your settings based on your schedule. Setting back the thermostat by 7 to 10 degrees for a period of 8 hours can save you 10 to 15 percent on your annual heating and cooling bills.
Ideally, for the most savings, you should program your thermostat in the winter to 68 degrees when you’re at home and 58 degrees or lower when you’re at work or sleeping. In the summer, keep the thermostat set to 78 degrees when you’re home and 88 degrees or higher when you’re away or asleep.
While programmable thermostats allow you to manually override the program without affecting the programmed settings for the subsequent cycles, doing so will reduce your savings.
Types of Programmable Thermostats
There are a number of different types of programmable thermostats for different types of heating systems. Generally, they fall into three programming options.
7-day models feature the same program for every day of the week. This is the best type for those who have the same basic schedule every day.
5-2 day models allow you to program one setting for the weekdays and another setting for the weekends. This is ideal for those who have a traditional Monday through Friday workweek and the same general schedule for each weekend day.
5-1-1models give you the same weekday settings, but allow you to set a different program for each weekend day.
Special Features
Programmable thermostats are available with a number of special features. Some allow you to store six or more daily settings, and certain models feature alerts that let you know when the temperature has changed or your HVAC filter needs replacing. Others provide humidity readings or let you view the thermostat history. Programmable thermostats that let you control settings remotely from a computer or mobile device are becoming increasingly popular. Thermostats are either hardwired into your electrical system or run on batteries.
Thermostat Placement
Proper installation is essential for saving money with a programmable thermostat. Don’t locate your thermostat near windows, doors, or skylights, and keep it out of direct sunlight. Install the thermostat on an interior wall away from drafts and heat sources like supply registers and fireplaces.
For more tips on choosing and using a programmable thermostat to save money on your energy bills all year round, please feel free to contact us at Comfort Control, Inc.