5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Programmable Thermostat

March 26th, 2019 Posted in Thermostats
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A programmable thermostat is an HVAC accessory that can help save money on your energy bills – but only if you know the best ways to use it. Every home and family are different, which is why a programmable thermostat is important. You can customize your settings to your lifestyle, then let the thermostat regulate your climate control for the most efficiency. Here are five ways to get the most from your programmable thermostat.

  1. Write down your family’s schedule. The first thing you need to know is what hours your family is usually in the house and when they are not. Write down your schedule to facilitate programming your thermostat.
  2. Set your timer for work/school days. Using your schedule, if there are usual days when no one is home, set the timer to a lower or higher temperature (depending on the season) during the time the home is empty.
  3. Set the thermostat for sleeping hours. Change the temperature for your home when bedtime arrives for your family. Set it to a more efficient setting an hour before you go to bed and to change right before you wake to your standard temperature.
  4. Keep an eye on the batteries. Most thermostat batteries need changing about once a year, but not all models have a low battery indicator. Make sure to proactively change your batteries to ensure the thermostat works correctly.
  5. Avoid constant changes. Unless your schedule changes, try to avoid overriding your programmed settings. It is easy to forget to reset, which can cost you more in energy.

A programmable thermostat, especially some of the newer smart models, can save you hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs. If you have an older thermostat, consider updating your model to get the most efficiency for your HVAC system.

Posted on behalf of:
ClimateSmith, LLC
5950 Shiloh Road East
Alpharetta, GA 30005
(770) 475-9555

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Why You Should Upgrade to a Smart Thermostat

February 21st, 2019 Posted in HVAC Accessories
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It seems like everything is getting “smarter” nowadays. Cell phones, TVs and even irrigation systems come in “smart” varieties, as do HVAC thermostats. The idea of smart devices is to make it easier to access the information you need and get better or more efficient performance. That is certainly true of smart thermostats. Not only can it make it easier to control the climate inside your home by connecting to your smartphone, it can save you money. Here are a few reasons to upgrade to a smart thermostat for your HVAC system.

Change Your Settings Remotely

Older thermostats can often be programmed, but you need to be home to control the settings. With a smart thermostat you can access your settings from anywhere. This means if you find out you need to stay late at work, you can change the programmed time that the temperature should go up or down at your home. Going home early? Get your home cooled down or warmed up before you arrive, all from your smartphone app.

Reduce Energy Costs

The ability to change the settings on your HVAC system from anywhere helps you manage your heating and cooling costs. Plus, many smart thermostats have efficiency functions to help you improve your energy use. Some will let you know when the filter needs to be changed or other maintenance needs to be performed.

Besides the convenience and energy savings, smart thermostats can last longer and require less maintenance than older versions. If you want to save money and reduce energy waste on heating or cooling in your home, contact your local HVAC service company and talk to them about the options available in smart thermostats.

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

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How to Choose the Right Thermostat

December 3rd, 2018 Posted in Reducing HVAC Energy Costs
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Do you have an older thermostat for your HVAC system? If your thermostat does not have programming or remote access, you are missing out of some phenomenal features that offer convenience and energy savings for your home. If you are ready to upgrade your thermostat, here are some features to consider that will help you choose the right model for your needs.

Programmable

First and foremost, you want a thermostat that is programmable. This one feature can save you hundreds of dollars on your energy bills if you use it correctly. You can program your thermostat to use less energy during hours you are sleeping or away from home, while keeping your home comfortable.

Remote Access

Many thermostats now offer Wi-Fi access. This allows you to control your thermostat from a computer or even your smartphone. You can turn your thermostat up or down when you are away from home, helping save you even more money on energy costs.

Auto Changeover

When the days are warm and the nights are cool, you want your thermostat to know when to send heat and when to turn on the A/C. An auto changeover switch allows your thermostat to use both heat and air conditioning to maintain the preferred temperature in your home.

Keyboard Lock

Don’t want your kids turning up the A/C to high when you are not at home? Choose a thermostat with a keyboard lock to leave changing the temperature to the people who pay the bills.

The new features available on today’s thermostats make it easier to keep your home climate controlled while using less energy. Talk to your local HVAC service company to learn more about the models available and for professional installation.

Posted on behalf of:
Western Aire Heating & Cooling
264 Buchanan Highway
Dallas, GA 30157
(770) 505-7426

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Save Money By Using Your Programmable Thermostat Properly

November 5th, 2011 Posted in HVAC Equipment
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According to estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you can save up to $180 per year on energy costs by properly using a programmable thermostat.  If you do the installation yourself, you can recoup the cost of the thermostat in about six months or less.

Unless you are confident that you can install the thermostat correctly, you should have it installed by a reputable HVAC contractor who sells and installs HVAC accessories and optional components.  Costs vary, but you can probably recover the cost of the professionally installed thermostat in about one to two years.

In either case, these thermostats can last for fifteen to twenty years or longer.  That means whether you install the thermostat yourself or rely on a professional HVAC contractor, you will enjoy many years of savings if you follow the EPA guidelines.

The EPA recommends that you program the thermostat to hold the temperature at the energy saving level for long periods of time such as all day while you are at work or all night while you are asleep.  Avoid using the “override” feature to adjust the temperature setting.  The more often you use this feature, the lower your energy savings will be.

Instead, try to program the unit so that you will remain comfortable without having to adjust the temperature manually.  These thermostats work best when they are “set and forget”.  The less you manually adjust the temperature, the more consistently the thermostat will be saving you energy.

If your home has multiple heating and cooling systems such as a separate system for each level of your home, use a separate thermostat for each system.

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Advantages Of Programmable Thermostats

January 9th, 2011 Posted in HVAC Equipment
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With the cold winter weather hard upon us in most of the country, many consumers are looking for ways to increase their comfort level while reducing their heating costs.  An HVAC accessory that is perfect for the job is a programmable thermostat.  Proper use of a programmable thermostat is one of the easiest ways to reduce your home heating costs while increasing your comfort level. 

A standard manual thermostat is set to maintain a constant temperature in your home.  You can save on heating costs by lowering the temperature at night and during the day while you and your family are away from home.  The problem is that if you forget to lower the setting at night or in the morning when you leave home, your furnace will keep your home at the warmer temperature.

Another disadvantage of a manual thermostat is that you have to turn up the thermostat in the morning and your home does not really warm up until it is time to head off to work or school for the day.  The same is true when you arrive at home in the evening.

A programmable thermostat takes care of these concerns.  It can be set to automatically lower the temperature setting at bedtime, and to raise the temperature in the morning shortly before you wake.  When you get up in the morning, your home is already warm!  The programmable thermostat will later lower the temperature after everyone has left home for the day, and again increase the setting to warm up your home before your family returns. 

With a programmable thermostat, you don’t have to remember to change the temperature settings.  Once programmed, the thermostat takes care of it automatically.

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