Today’s high-tech programmable thermostats are a far cry from yesterday’s manual, mechanical models. Their use can increase indoor air comfort, add convenience and reduce energy consumption, thereby saving you dollars. Knowing how to correctly use the programmable thermostat you’ve installed in your Dayton area home, however, is key to obtaining the benefits it has to offer.
Of the estimated 40-50 percent of home energy consumption that goes to heating and cooling, a substantial portion is wasted in conditioning air in spaces that are unoccupied. During the day when the home is empty or at night when everyone’s asleep, program the thermostat 6 degrees lower. Even with a non-programmable thermostat, you can simply turn down the temperature as you leave the house in the morning and before going to bed, but often people forget to take care of this detail. With a programmable thermostat, not only will temperatures be regulated automatically but they can be set to come on and start warming up (or cooling down) your house 30 minutes to an hour before you arrive home or awaken.
Studies have found that for each single degree Fahrenheit your set temperature is lowered during heating season and raised during cooling season, you’ll save about 1 percent on energy use. This assumes that the temperature change is for a period of at least an eight-hour block, done on a consistent basis from week to week.
In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suspended the Energy Star certification for programmable thermostats because they were unable to confirm the savings that are theoretically possible through their proper use. They did acknowledge, however, that these devices have significant savings potential when used correctly. This includes not using the “hold” feature too much or rewarding yourself for energy savings while at home with excessively high or low temperature settings.
Since 1978, three generations of family-owned Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. have proudly provided Dayton area clients with the highest level of home heating and cooling services.Contact us for additional information regarding programmable thermostats and ways to achieve maximum savings through their proper use.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about programmable thermostats and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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