Are your home’s heating and cooling systems still run by manual thermostats? If so, you are missing out on maximizing their energy efficiency and minimizing your heating and cooling costs!
P. Gagnon & Son sells and installs quality programmable thermostats that make keeping your home comfortable easy. You can also save a lot of money by using a programmable thermostat, but how much? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, using your programmable thermostat correctly can cut your heating and cooling energy costs by 10% a year! When you consider that heating and cooling accounts for approximately half of your home’s energy consumption and costs, you can see what a great investment a programmable thermostat can be!
Even if you have a programmable thermostat, you may not be using it properly to optimize energy efficiency. So, we’ve put together some steps to make sure you get the most out of your thermostat.
[h3]Set your thermostat for savings
Look at the settings on your thermostat. Usually, there’s one for heating and cooling. Make sure it’s set on the right one. If it’s set to “OFF,” neither your heating system nor your central air conditioning systems will run.
There is also a setting for the fan, with the options of “AUTO” or “ON.” When set to “ON,” the fan will operate continuously to circulate air around your ductwork. It can come in handy if someone has burned dinner and you want to help circulate the air out of your kitchen and eventually out of your home. But if you leave it on, it can be a big waster of energy. The “AUTO” setting only turns on the fan when it is needed to get the air in your home to the temperature you set on the thermostat.
For your everyday settings, the Department of Energy offers these guidelines:
Don’t make the all-too-frequent mistake of setting your programmable thermostat to crank up the heat or air conditioning when you get home under the misguided belief that doing so will get your home comfortable faster. It won’t, and you’ll just waste energy, defeating the purpose of your programmable thermostat. Instead, program your thermostat to adjust to your desired temperature 30 to 60 minutes before you plan to get home. That way, your heating system can efficiently get it to that temperature, so you come home to comfort.
Programmable thermostats also allow you to set multiple programs, such as one for weekdays, one for weekends, and one for vacations.
You may decide to install a smart thermostat for your home. These offer many benefits. Smart thermostats ensure that you can remain in full control of your home’s climate, even when on vacation! As long as there is an internet signal or WiFi connection available, you can access and modify the thermostat settings using your smartphone. There are no more concerns about forgetting to set the thermostat before you leave the house.
A smart thermostat also keeps an eye on your home’s HVAC system. It can alert you when it’s time to replace your air filter when maintenance is required if something is wrong and you need a service call, and how much energy your system consumes so you can adjust your settings if necessary.
Ready to upgrade your home’s heating and cooling with a programmable thermostat? Contact P. Gagnon & Son today to get started!