Programmable thermostats are one of the best, most cost-effective ways to cut your energy bills. Heating and cooling the air in your home is by far the biggest part of your utility bills and a high-quality thermostat can help you decrease those costs. The only catch is, you have to know what you’re looking for and how to select the best unit for your needs.
Features
Programmable thermostats have a variety of features but you simply cannot do without a few of them:
- Seven-Day Settings – Choose a unit that allows for different settings for each day of the week.
- Vacation Settings – In Colorado, a state with two distinct vacation seasons, this feature is a must. You can save money and protect your home from the cold during winter vacations and the heat during the summer.
- Remote Control – Look for a model that allows you to control it from your smart phone or laptop. Think about it; how often do you get home exactly on time?
- Air Quality Monitoring – Deluxe programmable thermostats can test the air in your home for toxins and maintain proper levels of humidity. Not only does this keep your family safe, it also keeps the air fresh.
- Peak Usage Monitoring – Choose a unit that checks the peak hour rates that your electricity provider charges and adjusts behavior accordingly.
Settings
The features can only get you so far. You still have to know how to use them:
- Eight-Hour Blocks – You can cut your usage by over 10 percent by decreasing demand during the eight-hour blocks when you’re at work and again when you’re asleep.
- Baby Steps – Don’t try to drastically change the temperature in your house in one day. Change the settings by one or two degrees and give the residents time to get used to it.
- Don’t Use the Override – The more often you override your programmed settings, the less efficient your system will be.
If you want to make sure you choose the best thermostat for your needs, contact Climate Control Company. With over 50 years of experience in Western Colorado, we have the expertise to help you maximize your savings.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about programmable thermostats and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
Climate Control Company services Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado.
