Mercury thermostats, used in heating and cooling equipment, are in millions of homes across the country. Mercury, a well-known toxin, poses health hazards to humans and pollutes the environment. If you still have an older, mercury-filled thermostat in your home, consider upgrading to a safe, mercury-free thermostat that also aids in improving home energy efficiency.
Through the years, home heating equipment has used a mercury switch thermostat to turn heating and coolin
g equipment on and off. This switch contains a glass bulb filled with mercury and a metal coil that expands or contracts when room temperatures change. Mercury thermostats represent the largest amount of mercury found in any household product. One mercury thermostat contains from three to five grams of mercury, a powerful neurotoxin, and even the smallest amount of mercury in your home can pose a health concern for your family. Studies show that exposure to elemental mercury, even in small quantities, can cause severe damage to the central nervous system. Additionally, it’s extremely hazardous to young children and unborn fetuses.
By upgrading to a digital mercury-free thermostat in your home, you can eliminate associated health risks of mercury thermostats and conserve energy. A programmable, mercury-free thermostat is a cost-effective alternative that has many benefits for your home. It allows you to program your home’s temperature to fit your needs and schedule. You can program the thermostat to automatically lower temperatures when you’re sleeping or away from home, and raise them before you awaken or return.
If you have a zoning system, you can program each zone at a different temperature, and control those zones with a programmable thermostat. These simple features can save you as much as 30 percent on home heating and cooling costs each year. Programmable thermostats are easy to operate and with most models, can be remotely controlled from any computer, tablet or smart-phone.
If you have an old-school mercury thermostat, it’s time to upgrade to a mercury-free thermostat. We can help you with a new, programmable thermostat for your home that’s safe and energy efficient. For more information, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning. We have been serving the HVAC needs of the Twin Cities Metro area since 1974.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about mercury-free thermostats and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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