Programmable thermostats make controlling your family’s indoor living environment simple and effortless while saving energy and lowering utility bills. They do this by allowing you to preset changes in temperature. A programmable thermostat can be added to an existing heating and cooling system and should be included in an upgrade package if you purchase a brand new A/C, heat pump, ductless mini-split or zoning system for your home.
Programmable thermostats allow you to choose up to four daily settings or programs, and they give you the ability to set the temperature higher in the summer and lower in the winter when you’re out or asleep. You can also use the programs to ensure that your HVAC equipment cycles on right before your family’s about to rise in the morning or arrive home, ensuring comfort.
For instance, the first program sets the home’s temperature at your normal comfort setting as you rise. Then, it adjusts the temperature again as you and your family leave the home for work and school, thus saving energy. You can set the next program to coincide with your return, so that the home reaches a comfortable temperature again. Finally, the last setting of the day will return the home to energy-saving temperatures for sleeping.
It might not seem like much, but the big savings comes from sticking with the settings you create and not deviating from them too much, thus allowing for consistent peak and non-peak periods of use.
Programmable thermostats really come in handy with a zoned heating and cooling system; by having a separate thermostat for each zone the settings can reflect a zone’s solar orientation (south or west facing windows) or a zone’s special needs such as keeping an elderly resident or infant comfortable at all times. This type of thermostat is relatively inexpensive to purchase and install and will increase your family’s comfort level by leaps and bounds. They will never want to go back to the old manual kind.