Today is officially winter and that means our thermostats are getting more use. On cold days, you want to come home and immediately run to the thermostat and turn up the heat. Once you have reached a desirable temperature, you head back to the thermostat and turn it down. Programmable thermostats are becoming a new must-have in homes today for that very reason. We are hearing about them more and more every day. So, what’s the big deal? A normal manual thermostat costs anywhere from $25-$60 and programmable thermostats range from $90-$300. Is the extra upfront cost worth it to you?
Benefits
Programmable thermostats not only increase your comfort but they save you money, time, and hassle. Here are just a few benefits to keep in mind when considering the switch from manual to programmable.
Saves money: There’s no arguing that more energy is being used by people every day. You can reduce your energy usage, and your bill, with a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats prevent you from leaving the heat off all day, causing you to come home to an ice box. Programmable thermostats allow you to set schedules so that your heat can gradually turn on an hour before your normal arrival time. Reducing usage when you are not home will decrease your bill significantly.
Consistency/Increased comfort: Programmable thermostats allow for more consistency. This means they help keep the temperature you desire all the time. This helps avoid the problem of the room getting too hot and then too cold. You can set the temperature for when you’re away, sleeping, waking up, and more.
Control: There are a wide variety of programmable thermostats. They range from simple to more complex. Some of them have remotes or can even be controlled from your smartphone. If for some reason you want to change your schedule temporarily, all programmable thermostats can be manually overridden without affecting the schedule.
Where do they work?
- Single level homes
- Multi-level homes
- Apartments
- Vacation homes
- Commercial buildings
Common features
- Hold and vacation features
- Filter change reminder
- Digital, backlit displays
- Touchpad screen programming
- Indicators that signal malfunctioning of heating/cooling system
- Voice and/or phone programming
