Your home’s thermostat is a critical component of your heating and cooling systems. While most new systems come equipped with a programmable thermostat, your home’s older system might not have one. For energy savings, customization, remote access, and compatibility, consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat to reach optimal comfort in your home.

Having a programmable thermostat makes settings easier for you and helps optimize energy efficiency, in turn helping your heating and cooling system from being overworked. This can add years to your system’s lifespan.

Benefits of Programmable Thermostats

Programmable thermostats come with many benefits for you, your home, and your heating and cooling system. There are many different brands and types of programmable thermostats, but most contain these key benefits.

Energy Savings

Programmable thermostats are more energy-efficient and economical than the standard thermostat. Through many features like temperature scheduling, temperature setbacks, and adaptive learning, these smart thermostats can reduce overall energy consumption, saving you money on utility bills.

Programming your thermostat to rise and fall throughout the day is one of the simplest tasks to lower your energy bill. According to the Department of Energy, adjusting your thermostat back by seven to ten degrees for at least eight hours a day can help save as much as ten percent per year on your energy bill. Utilizing a programmable thermostat can conserve energy and economize your energy bill.

Customization

Being able to customize various aspects of your home’s heating and cooling system offers users a tailored and flexible approach to temperature control. From creating a temperature schedule that aligns with your daily routines to the ability to make real-time adjustments to your home’s temperature from anywhere, programmable thermostats provide customization and flexibility at all times.

Users can customize temporary overrides or adjustments for special occasions, like holidays or unexpected events. This flexibility ensures the thermostat can adapt seamlessly to changing circumstances without disrupting the already programmed standard schedule.

Smart Home Integration

Many programmable thermostats are compatible with voice-activated assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple’s Siri. Users can verbally adjust temperature settings, offering a hands-free and seamless experience.

Additionally, programmable thermostats connected to a smart home network can provide detailed energy usage data and analytics. This means users can gain insights into their heating and cooling patterns, identify energy-efficient practices, and make informed decisions to optimize energy consumption further.

Integration with a smart home system enables the thermostat to send alerts and notifications about various features. You can receive reminders to change air filters, notifications of unusual energy usage patterns, or warnings about potential system issues, promoting proactive maintenance.

Best Practices For Programmable Thermostats

A programmable thermostat is beneficial, but you’re not fully reaping the benefits unless you use it correctly. Here are a few best practices to optimize your home’s thermostat performance.

Understand Your Schedule

Take the time to plan out your daily and weekly schedule so you can, in turn, program your thermostat accordingly to coordinate with your typical routines, adjusting for times when you’re asleep or away from home. As mentioned above, this simple task will save you significant money on your electric bill, and using a programmable thermostat will help you achieve it.

Set Energy-Efficient Temperatures

During the winter months, set the thermostat to a lower temperature when you’re away or sleeping and increase it when you’re active for optimal comfortability. In the summer, it’s best to set the thermostat higher when you’re away and lower when at home. Doing this will save you significant money on your next utility bill.

Perform Regular Maintenance

Though thermostats can be relatively low maintenance, ensuring they properly function for effective home temperature control is still critical. Periodically clean your thermostat with a soft, dry cloth to remove debris and ensure nothing affects the thermostat’s sensors. It’s also common practice to check batteries occasionally, though most smart thermostats will alert you when your battery is low.

Utilize Remote Access

This feature is essential in maintaining a consistent temperature in the home, even when you’re away. Remote access has been proven beneficial when there are drastic temperature changes outside and you’re physically not home to adjust the thermostat to compensate for outdoor temperatures.

Or, it can be helpful in situations where there’s a change in your schedule, and you want to keep the thermostat at a higher temperature while you’re away to save you money.

If your home is not equipped with a programmable thermostat, upgrading can offer you and your home several benefits. If you already own one, be sure you are properly utilizing it to receive the full benefits to your system and energy bill.

For any questions or to inquire about programmable thermostat installation, contact Fayette Heating & Air at 859-587-4198 or schedule an appointment online.