You may know a little about programmable thermostats and you may already have one, but do you know how to get the most out of your thermostat?

Using programmable thermostats to their full capacity can not only save you money on energy costs but make your living areas more comfortable.

The first thing to consider is your day-to-day routine. For example, what time do you go to bed? If you like sleeping in a cooler room, start pre-cooling your room before you head to bed. Is there a time when the house is empty of occupants during the day? Schedule the thermostat to go up or down a few degrees, depending on the season, during that time.

In winter, keep your thermostat at around 68 degrees while you’re awake, and drop it down while you’re sleeping or when no one’s in your home. You can save around one percent for every degree you shave off during a minimum eight-hour period.

In summer think about setting your thermostat around 78 degrees and bump it up when you’re gone from the home, lowering it at night when you’re sleeping.

Going on vacation? Set your thermostat to maximize energy savings while no one is there, and program the thermostat to cool down or warm up again a few hours before you’re scheduled to return.

Options in programmable thermostats

• Do your daily schedules change often?  A 7-day model is a good choice as it will let you have a different program for each day.
• Different weekend schedule? A 5+2 model uses the same schedule for each weekday and a different one for the weekends.
• Saturdays and Sundays different? Try a 5-1-1 thermostat model, which will keep the same weekday schedule but allow you to have a different schedule Saturday and Sunday.

For more information on programmable thermostats or your other home comfort needs, contact the experts at Powers Heating & Air. We proudly serve homeowners throughout Peachtree City and surrounding areas.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree, GA and surrounding areas 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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