Thermostat Control: Tips on Keeping It Cool

When the temperatures rise, so does your electric bill. It can be costly to keep your home comfortable when the temperature hit the 90’s and triple digits. You want your home to be climate controlled, but at what cost? Having a programmable thermostat and using it properly can help you stay cool while managing the cost of your comfort. Here are some tips to manage your thermostat to stay cool without breaking the bank on energy bills.

  • Program your thermostat. The best efficiency tip is to program your thermostat to only be at the lowest cooling setting when you are home during the warmest hours. Thermostats should be set to automatically switch a higher temperature when the house is empty and at night.
  • Use moderate settings. Keep your settings moderate for temperatures. Good energy settings include 78 degrees when you are home during peak hours, 82 degrees when you are sleeping and 85 when you are away from home.
  • Don’t forget to change your programming for trips. If you are going to be away for a few days, make sure to change your thermostat settings to away temperatures for the entire time.
  • Get a smartphone app. Many advanced thermostats can be controlled through an app on your phone. This gives you control to change the setting if you will be coming home early or not coming home at all. Why cool your home if no one is there to enjoy it?

Just making a few changes on how your use your thermostat can save you hundreds of dollars each summer on your cooling bills. Talk to your local HVAC provider about updating to a hi-tech, efficient thermostat if you still are using an older, manual model.

Posted on behalf of:
ClimateSmith, LLC
1925 Lena Carter Road
Buford, GA 30519
(770) 475-9528

The Wonder of Thermostatic Heat Control

Thermostats are one of those many items in a modern house that we can easily take for granted. We use them to adjust the temperature of our home and make it comfortable for us without giving it much thought, until it stops working, that is. 

The first thermostat for controlling room air temperature was invented in the late 1800’s. Since then, the use of a thermostatic device to control the temperature in our home and the output of our heating and cooling systems has continued to evolve. Initial thermostats were related to the heat system only, but many today are used to control both heating and cooling of the home through the same thermostat. 

A residential heating and cooling thermostat works by first measuring the temperature of the air surrounding it. A thermometer of some type must therefore reside in the thermostat to measure and give a reading of that actual temperature. In addition, the readings of that thermometer device must trigger an electrical response based on the temperature settings you provide to signal the furnace to ignite the burner and start the blower fan, as well as turn those functions off when the thermometer reaches the desired temperature setting. 

The internal means of measuring the temperature and responding to the temperature settings have varied over the years and used a variety of means. Today, most homes use a digital, programmable thermometer, though there are still plenty of homes that have the older dial type thermostat. Both provide similar control, the programmable thermostat simply offers the homeowner the convenience of telling the system when to turn on and off without the owner having to be physically present to make those adjustments.