Setting programmable thermostats can mean the difference between energy savings—and getting a quick return on your investment—and the status quo. A programmable thermostat is a handy little device that can help you manage home comfort and energy savings. Once you have it, though, setting it becomes a priority to ensure effective results.
Overall, your home's temperature will predict energy savings. The more you can lower your thermostat, the better the chance that you’ll increase energy savings. And a programmable thermostat can help to ensure regular temperature setbacks, because you can program it to fire up the furnace only when you need heat.
You’ll maximize energy savings if you can program setbacks twice daily. In general, homeowners will schedule the first setback after family members leave for work and school, and the second setback at night, while everyone is asleep. These time periods are ideal, because you get optimal energy savings with longer setbacks. So, for instance, if you’re leaving your home for just an hour, leave the furnace on. Setting it back for short periods of time will actually cause your system to consume more energy to overcome the shorter setback.
The variation in temperature will also impact energy savings. So, as a general rule, the lower you can set your home’s thermostat, the more energy savings you’ll see. In the winter season, try setting the thermostat’s temperature back by eight degrees as a starting point. You might find that you can remain comfortable with a larger setback during the day, for instance. And the good thing about a programmable device is that you can time the furnace to heat the home back up before you return, so you won’t even notice how cold the home was during the setback.
Setting programmable thermostats is a fairly simple process, if you know the guiding principles to ensure energy savings. If you need help choosing, installing or setting your device, don’t hesitate to call the experts at Joe Behr Plumbing & Heating, Inc. today! We're happy to help Mid-Ohio homeowners increase energy savings and home comfort. And that’s something we’ve been doing since 1965.
