A programmable thermostat is a powerful tool to help you maximize home energy efficiency. Without one, you may be forced to run your furnace and air conditioner even when nobody is home, just to be sure your house is at a comfortable temperature when you return. Needless to say, this can lead to major energy wastage and a lot of misspent money.

Whether you’ve already installed a programmable thermostat or want to take advantage of this technology’s ability to reduce home heating and cooling expenses, here are some tips to follow to maximize the benefits:

• Choose a model that offers multiple day settings: The simplest programmable thermostats offer only one setting, which runs the same way every day without taking home usage patterns into account. You’re better off with a model that allows you to adjust the settings based on occupancy, which typically changes between weekdays and weekends.
• Place your thermostat correctly: Your thermostat should be placed on an interior wall (which does not border the outdoors) and in a spot where drafts are not an issue. Avoid putting your thermostat near a vent, door, window or skylight, as these can affect temperature readings.
• Use the “hold” setting sparingly: While you can use the “hold” feature to manually override the timing settings, you should do this as seldom as possible to maintain the thermostat’s benefits.
• Zone your home: Creating multiple zoning systems, each of which is controlled by a separate thermostat, will further enhance your home’s overall energy efficiency and comfort.

Remember, too, that for every degree you adjust your thermostat down (in the winter) or up (in the summer), you save about 3 percent on your energy bill. To the greatest possible degree, you should set your programmable thermostat to the highest comfortable temperature during cooling season and the lowest comfortable temperature during heating season.

For more information, contact us at Powers Heating and Air. We offer a wide range of programmable thermostats with powerful cost-cutting features.

Our goal is to help educate our customers 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.

Powers Heating & Air serves Peachtree, GA and the surrounding areas.  Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!