A programmable thermostat is a useful tool that can help homeowners decrease their energy consumption and utility bills while improving home comfort. Gone are the days of making a trip to the thermostat for every adjustment – that is, if you remember! Now you can simply program your thermostat around your schedule. By knowing the right way to set your thermostat, you can reduce energy use while staying comfortable.
Programmable thermostats allow you to set up multiple schedules that automatically adjust your air conditioning or heating. Depending on the model, they may have additional settings for vacations, overrides and daylight savings time. Often, it’s easy to forget to adjust your thermostat manually each day before you leave the house and then again when you com
e home. Leaving your air conditioning or heating on when you don’t need it uses unnecessary energy and increases utility expenses.
The key to cutting your energy use is the ability to set programs based on the habits of your household. If no one is home during certain hours due to work and school, create a program to set back your temperature during these hours. Turning your thermostat 10 to 15 degrees higher during hot weather or lower during cold weather, for a period of eight hours or more, will play a major role in reducing your household’s utility bills; according to the federal Energy Star program, it will help you save around 10 percent per year. This strategy also works great for the cold Minnesota winters; program your thermostat to lower the temperature during your sleeping hours when you likely won’t notice. If you don’t want to wake up shivering, set the program to raise the temperature before your usual wake-up time.
A programmable thermostat is a great solution to control your household’s energy consumption and costs. There are many models available with a variety of features to fit your needs. For more professional advice about how a programmable thermostat can set you up for savings, contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve been helping our neighbors in Minneapolis-St. Paul stay comfortable for over 38 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis, Minnesota 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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