Everyone knows that you can use your home’s thermostat to set the temperature of your heating and cooling system, but did you know that installing the right kind of HVAC thermostat can help save you up to $150 a year? Not only can a programmable thermostat deliver precise temperature, humidity and air treatment control to your Montgomery County, Maryland (MD) or NW Washington, DC home on your schedule, but if used properly, your programmable thermostat can save you money on your energy bills!

Benefits of a programmable thermostat

One of the greatest benefits of installing a programmable thermostat is that it can be synced with your schedule.For example, if your family’s schedule means that your house is regularly empty for long periods of time, such as when everyone is away at work or school, the thermostat can be programmed to lower the temperature when no one is home and then raise the temperature when everyone returns. Similarly, you can program the thermostat to lower temperatures at night when your family is asleep in bed and raise them when everyone wakes up. Once programmed, your thermostat adjusts the temperature settings automatically without you ever having to worry about it. However, you can easily change the settings on your programmable thermostat whenever you want,even after it has been programmed.Since programmable thermostats can be adjusted very easily, using your programmable thermostat strategically can save you a great deal of money on your monthly energy costs. In fact, most residents throughout the Montgomery County, Maryland (MD) and NW Washington, DC area who install programmable thermostats see the cost of the thermostat more than paid back in energy savings within the first year of having their programmable thermostat installed.

Proper use of your programmable thermostat

To ensure that your programmable thermostat is as effective as it can be, there are a few steps you should take:

• Thermostats should be kept away from heating or cooling elements to provide the most accurate reading of your home’s temperature.
• Set your thermostat to the lowest possible setting in the winter and the highest possible setting in the summer to minimize wasted energy if you are going to be away from your home for a few days.
• During the cold months, lower your thermostat setting by a few degrees at night or during a party when people’s body heat will warm your house.
• Avoid constantly adjusting your thermostat. Changing your thermostat once or twice a day is fine, but changing it too often will cause your HVAC system to turn off and on more frequently than needed, forcing your heating and cooling system to work harder and therefore be less efficient.

Few people are aware of how large of an impact their thermostat can have on their home’s heating and cooling efficiency. If you want to install a programmable thermostat and take complete control of your Montgomery County, Maryland (MD) or Washington, DC home’s heating and cooling needs, call Wheat & Sons today!