A case study by Energy Star indicates that by investing in a programmable thermostat, a homeowner can expect an annual savings of $171, and savings of $1,880 over the life of the unit, as compared to HVAC operating costs using a manual thermostat. Not many other options deliver that kind of return on investment. In addition to savings, a programmable thermostat allows enhanced comfort by allowing a home to already be at the desired comfort level when arriving home or waking up in the morning.
If you don’t yet have a programmable thermostat installed in your Alpharetta home, you might want to consider one. Programmable thermostats take all the guesswork out of setting your thermostat. With a few tips for optimal temperature settings, along with a couple of other best practices, a programmable thermostat can keep you comfortable and help save you money.
Set points
The best set point for your home is largely based on your comfort preferences. A temperature setting that is comfortable for your neighbors, for example, may be higher or lower than the setting preferred by your family. That being said, the more you can lower your normal temperature settings, the more you’ll save.
You can achieve dramatic savings, however, by setting an energy-saving temperature set point for the HVAC system for the times of the day and night when you don’t need to keep your home as warm or as cool. You don’t need conditioned air during the day if no one is at home to enjoy it, and you probably don’t need the heat on at night when everyone is asleep. This is one of the perks of using the programmable thermostat: Simply enter the temperature settings and time period once, and the thermostat will do the rest of the work, day in and day out.
Need a guideline to start saving? The Department of Energy (DOE) offers specific recommendations for temperature settings: 68 degrees during the winter and 78 degrees in the summer.
As a general rule, the DOE estimates that you can save as much as 10 percent on energy costs every year just by reducing the home’s temperature during winter, and raising it during the summer, by as much as 10 degrees for at least one eight-hour period each day. Adjust the temperature twice a day while you’re asleep and at work and you’ll save even more.
Overrides
If you’re afraid to lose control of your home’s heating and cooling, don’t worry. Most programmable devices also feature a convenient “override” button, which means the unit will cancel out the next programmed setting when your schedule changes suddenly. Avoid using this feature as much as possible, however. Cancel the next lower/higher setting, and you’ll also negate the potential for savings.
Multiple thermostats
If you’ve invested in multiple heating and cooling systems for your larger home, an effective way to manage comfort, you’ll also need to purchase multiple thermostats to control heating and cooling. In many cases, you can opt to “network” these thermostats, and control the temperatures throughout the home via one device, smartphone app or website.
If you’d like to talk to an expert about programmable thermostats, contact your local HVAC professionals at Reliable Heating and Air.