Installing a Programmable Thermostat Can Help Lower Your Energy Bill

Did you know that properly using a programmable thermostat in your home is one of the easiest ways you can save energy and money? An ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat helps make it easy for you to save by offering four pre-programmed settings to regulate your home’s temperature in summer and winter.

The pre-programmed settings that come with ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostats are intended to deliver savings without sacrificing comfort. Depending on your family’s schedule, you can see significant savings by sticking with those settings or adjusting them accordingly. The key is to establish a program that automatically reduces heating and cooling in your home when you don’t need it as much.

The pre-programmed settings for an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat are:

Which Programmable Thermostat is Right for Me?

To decide which model is best for you, think about your schedule and how often you are away from home for regular periods of time – work, school, and other activities – then decide which of the models best fits your schedule: the 7-day; 5+2-day or the 5-1-1-day.

7-day models are best if your daily schedule tends to change. For example, if children are at home earlier on some days. They give you the most flexibility, letting you set different programs for different days.

5+2-day models use the same schedule every weekday and another for weekends.

5-1-1 models are best if you tend to keep one schedule Monday-Friday and another schedule on Saturdays and Sundays.

Installation

Install your programmable thermostat unit on an interior wall away from heating and cooling vents and other sources of heat or drafts. Remember to read all instructions and proceed carefully. If the job requires more than just a replacement, call a certified HVAC professional to ensure proper installation as well as operation of your heating and cooling system. It’s a good idea to upgrade an old manual thermostat to a programmable unit if you are replacing your system because programmable thermostats are far more accurate and will maximize the efficiency of your new system. Heat pumps may require a special unit to maximize energy savings year-round.

Proper Use

• Keep the temperature set at its energy savings set-points for long periods of time (at least 8 hours), for example, during the day, when no one is at home, and through the night, after bedtime.
• All thermostats let you temporarily make an area warmer or cooler, without erasing the pre-set programming. This override is cancelled automatically at the next program period. You use more energy (and end up paying more on energy bills) if you consistently “hold” or over-ride the pre-programmed settings.
• Units typically have two types of hold features: (a) hold/permanent/vacation; (b) temporary. Avoid using the hold/permanent/vacation feature to manage day to day temperature settings. “Hold” or “vacation” features are best when you’re planning to be away for an extended period. Set this feature at a constant, efficient temperature (i.e. several degrees warmer temperature in summer; several degrees cooler during winter), when going away for the weekend or vacation. You’ll waste energy and money if you leave the “hold” feature at the comfort setting while you’re away.
• Cranking your unit up to 90 degrees or down to 40 degrees, for example, will not heat or cool your home any faster. Most thermostats, including ENERGY STAR rated units, begin to heat or cool at a set time, to reach set-point temperatures sometime thereafter. Units with adaptive recovery features are an exception to this rule.
• Many homes use just one thermostat to control the whole house. If your home has multiple heating or cooling zones, you’ll need a programmed setback thermostat for each zone to maximize comfort, convenience and energy savings throughout the house.
• If your programmable thermostat runs on batteries, don’t forget to change the batteries each year. Some units will indicate when batteries must be changed.