Are you seeing your monthly energy bills rising? Your first instinct may be to check your HVAC system for problems, but you probably won’t consider your thermostat. While it is important to have your heating and cooling system routinely inspected and cleaned, your thermostat is key to keeping your home comfortable throughout the year.
You want that important piece of equipment to serve you well. If your HVAC system isn’t working as well as it should, upgrading your old thermostat to a new programmable model may be the answer. These modern devices provide you with an affordable, easy-to-use option when it comes to keeping your home at a consistent, comfortable temperature.
How Your Existing Thermostat Can Cost You
Several issues can pop up as your thermostat ages. Watch for things like temperature misreadings, short cycling, or lost connections.
If your energy costs are rising, your old thermostat could be misreading the temperature. Older thermostats are often miscalibrated. They no longer accurately read the temperature in your home. They can also react to sunshine or a cold draft, which will result in what is referred to as a “ghost reading.” This means that your HVAC system could be operating when it isn’t needed. The result is higher bills and wasted energy.
Be aware of how frequently and how long your HVAC runs during a typical cycle. Short cycling can cause your heating and cooling system to turn on and off quickly without completing a full cycle. In addition to costing you more money, this puts stress on your HVAC system, and it can shorten the lifespan of the unit.
A lost connection is a serious problem that requires immediate attention. Once the connection between the thermostat and the HVAC system is lost, you won’t be able to turn the system on or off. You could end up with a very cold house in the winter months and an extremely hot house during the summer season if you can’t turn the system off. If it sticks in the “on” setting, you will be dealing with just the opposite problem. You will either be sacrificing comfort or money with a lost connection.
How a Programmable Thermostat Can Save You Money
While many factors such as the specific HVAC system, the weather, utility costs, and the size of your home can affect your home’s energy bills, the thermostat can make a difference too. If your heating and cooling system is more than 10 years old, it could be that it simply isn’t as energy efficient as it used to be. Your energy bills can be higher too when it’s extremely hot outside during the summer months or frigid cold in the winter season. Consider these things first: if your system is new and the weather has been cooperating but your bills continue to rise, upgrading to a programmable thermostat can save hundreds of dollars each year.
How It Works
A programmable thermostat allows you to set your system to heat or cool to different temperatures at different times of the day or night. With a traditional thermostat, you set it to one temperature, and there it stays. You have to go back to the thermostat and manually change the setting if you want to lower or raise it.
There are certain times of day when you can benefit from changing the temperature. For example, during the winter months, you can keep the temperature cooler during the day while you are at work. You can also lower it during the night when you are asleep under your covers. This could lead to substantial savings on your monthly energy bill. Unfortunately, having to constantly go to the thermostat to change the setting can be an inconvenience. Most homeowners either forget to do this or simply don’t want to go through the hassle.
This is where a programmable thermostat can save money. You can program your system to lower the temperature during the day when you are not home or while you sleep. You can then set it to raise when you will be home and active. Once your system is set with the dates and times, you can forget about it. It will automatically raise and lower the temperature for you, according to your settings. The same theory works during the summer heat when you want the house cooler, during those times when you’re home.
Once you begin searching for the perfect programmable thermostat for your home, you will find that there are three main types of these devices available. Each version is available at different prices, but the biggest difference that you need to consider is how you will manage the settings.
Digital Programmable Thermostat
A digital programmable thermostat is the most basic model. It can automatically raise and lower the temperature to meet your needs once you have set it. No longer will you need to remember before leaving home to turn down the heat. You can easily set the thermostat by using a touchscreen keypad that is mounted within your home. You can even set it to a more economical temperature before leaving on a vacation. You will definitely notice a difference in your energy bill over time.
Wireless Programmable Thermostat
A wireless programmable thermostat gives you a little more freedom by allowing you to program your thermostat from your smartphone. The benefit of using a wireless programmable thermostat is that you don’t have to be standing in front of a mounted touch screen. You can control your settings from anywhere. You don’t even have to be home to do this, which makes this type of programmable thermostat ideal when you are away from home for an extended amount of time. It even allows you to change the temperature to accommodate any changes you may have in your schedule. Coming home earlier than expected? No problem. Simply use your phone to turn up the heat so that you will be comfortable as soon as you enter the house.
Smart Home System
A smart home system not only controls your thermostat but also controls your water, lights, and security system in addition to the HVAC system. This gives you all of the money-saving advantages of any programmable thermostat while providing you with a way to put the same budget-friendly tactics to work for all areas of the home. Imagine coming home each evening to a well-lit, warm, and inviting house.
We Care Plumbing, Heating, and Air can help you find and install a new programmable thermostat so that you can start saving money as soon as possible. We serve Orange County and the Inland Empire from our offices in Temecula, Murietta, and Orange. We offer plumbing, indoor air quality, and water heater installation and repairs in addition to heating and cooling needs. Contact our team at We Care Plumbing, Heating, and Air today to learn more about a new programmable thermostat for your home.
