Your Life Runs on Schedules, Your Thermostat Should Too

Your Life Runs on Schedules, Your Thermostat Should Too

A programmable thermostat is a easy and effective way to control your home’s heating and cooling system.

Not only will it maintain your family’s comfort throughout the day and night: it will reduce your energy usage, shrink your carbon footprint, and save you money.

Programmable thermostats can be set to automatically increase and reduce the temperature in a home on a schedule that you determine. They vary in features and complexity, but even the simplest allow you to automatically adjust your heating and air conditioning systems based on when they are needed during the day.

For example, during the hot summer months, you don’t need to run the A/C when you’re at work and no one is at home, but you do want it to turn on in time to cool the house before you get home. (Most homes take only 20 to 30 minutes to cool down to a comfortable level on a hot day. That’s a big saving compared to running it for the nine hours you’re at work.) Likewise, when the weather is cold, you can allow the home to get fairly cool when you’re not around, and again when you’re ready for bed and about to crawl under the blankets, but have it nice and warm when you get up in the morning and again you get home from work.

Slightly more sophisticated units can be programmed for more than just a daily schedule, to accommodate your regular weekly activities. Some offer what’s known as a 5-2 schedule, with one program for the five workdays and another for the two weekend days. Others offer 5-1-1 programming, with one schedule for the work week and separate schedules for Saturday and Sunday. And some allow you to program every day of the week independently, to accommodate whatever kind of crazy schedule your family runs on. If you like to sleep late on weekends, stay up late on Friday or Saturday night, have your friends over for televised sports every Sunday afternoon, and work late on Wednesdays, you can program your thermostat to control the home’s temperature accordingly.

There are plenty more options, and new programmable thermostats are available with remote sensors, internet connectivity, WiFi, and other advanced features, but they all offer automated control of the home’s temperature with hands-off convenience. You don’t have to remember to turn the heat or A/C down when you leave for work or turn in for sleep. The thermostat makes the adjustments for you, so it saves you some hassle, reduces strain on your overworked memory banks (no more “Did I remember to turn down the A/C?” when you’re halfway to work), and reduces your energy consumption – especially during those times when you do forget to turn the system down before leaving the home.

Many families reduce their heating and cooling energy consumption by 15 percent per year with a programmable thermostat. Since Indiana is the ninth most expensive state for energy, that means substantial savings right away. In essence, a programmable thermostat will pay for itself in short order, while simultaneously benefitting the environment.

Read more about programming your thermostat for savings. And for even more money- and energy-saving tips, be sure to visit our blog often.

For personal advice on saving energy and keeping your Indiana home comfortable year-round, contact Home Comfort Experts. We service Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan from LaPorte to Fort Wayne, from St. Joseph, MI, to Rochester, IN. To learn how we can help with all of your HVAC and plumbing needs, contact us today for an appointment.