You may be throwing money away every month by not using your programmable thermostat correctly. Taking some time to set the programming will reduce your energy costs. Familiarize yourself with the thermostat so you can take full advantage of all the options available. Many modern programmable thermostats have added features, such as a low-battery indicator, backlit display, and more. Several of the latest models have wireless control, You can adjust settings from a smartphone or other communications device from anywhere.
Tips on Thermostat Programming
During sleep hours or times when everyone is away from home, program a lower temperature in the winter and a higher one in summer. This can add up to significant savings. You can set the program to return the temperature to a more comfortable range shortly before you expect to return or awaken. During vacations or extended away periods, use a temperature 8-12 degrees lower than usual.
A furnace that's firing on too quickly can waste significant amounts of energy. This is called rapid- or short-cycling. A thermostat should not signal the furnace to fire until there's a one to one and a half degree temperature drop. If the furnace is activated at less than 1 degree, adjust the setting up one degree and watch for a longer period before activation.
Try lowering your at-home temperature setting by one or two degrees. You may not notice the difference, but significant energy savings can result. You can always change back to your original programming if this is not comfortable.
Upgrade Your Thermostat
If you have a older-model programmable thermostat or an old-style dial thermostat, upgrading to a new model is fairly inexpensive and will easily pay for itself with energy savings over time. There are several models available:
- 7-day thermostats allows you to have different programming for each day of the week.
- 5+1+1 thermostats features one set of programs for weekdays, and Saturday having a different program from Sunday.
- 5+2 thermostats can have one program for weekdays and another for weekends.
All these thermostats will help you to save on energy expenses if programmed correctly.
Please contact us today at Hartman Brothers Heating and Air Conditioning with questions about programmable thermostats. We have been serving the Fort Wayne area since 1963.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about programmable thermostats and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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