Program Your Thermostat to Save Money This Winter

The thermostat is the control panel for every home’s heating and air conditioning system, allowing residents to set the temperature as they please and maintain it throughout the day. Modern thermostats offer features like smart programming and remote control via phone apps, but almost every thermostat these days comes equipped with basic programming features. Here in Rye, NY, and surrounding communities, those programming features become more important as the temperatures drop and winter grows closer. Judicious use of thermostats can result in considerable savings on monthly heating bills. A few tips for programming the thermostat are included below.

Basic Settings

In general, it’s a good idea to set the thermostat a few degrees cooler than you normally would: 65°F instead of 68°F for example. That shaves the energy bills considerably and yet the indoor temperature won’t feel excessively different. Similarly, it pays to program the thermostat at a much lower temperature at night, then sleeping with extra blankets to stay warm. Not only does that conserve energy, but it reduces strain on the heating system to boot.

In an Empty House

Many homeowners mistakenly believe that running the heating system all day saves money since it doesn’t have to spend as much energy heating the home when it starts up. In fact, the opposite is true. Running the heater all day for an empty home, or while all the household is on vacation over the holidays, is grossly wasteful. Instead, homeowners should program their thermostats for a base temperature of 55°F during the day when the house sits empty, then program it to turn on the heat 20 minutes before the first household members arrive home. The system will use far less energy and high monthly heating bills will drop.

The professionals at Yost and Campbel Heating, Cooling and Generators can install new thermostats in any home and provide sound advice on their programming and use.