Help With Buying a Programmable Thermostat

Once you have decided to buy a programmable thermostat for your home the next task you have is to decide which one to buy. There are a large number of  thermostats to choose from and to help you decide which is best for you, I've written the notes below.

The cheapest programmable thermostats cost under and the more expensive ones cost about 0. You might want to buy more than one programmable thermostat to control the temperature in different parts of your house. Normally price is the first consideration when buying a consumer product but should be less so in this instance because programmable thermostats save you money on HVAC bills. In under a year the savings on your bills will cover the cost of the programmable thermostat or thermostats you bought. It is estimated by Energy Star that you can save 0 a year by properly controlling the temperature in your house. It is a waste of money to heat or cool an empty house while you are at work and it is a waste of money to have the heating turned up when you are in bed sleeping.

THER MOS PA

More important is compatibility. Some of the cheaper models can only be installed on single stage systems. The better programmable thermostats can normally be installed on single and multi-stage systems, combined heater and cooler systems, gas pumps, air-conditioner units and electric furnaces. Check carefully about the compatibility of a device before you buy it.

The next vital consideration is ease of use. Is the device easy to program? All good thermostats should let you program in your temperature requirements for every day of the week. And within each day the thermostat should offer you four different periods. Any less does not give you the control you need over your house temperature to properly save energy and money.

Many of the better thermostats also have a vacation mode which allows the HVAC system to just tick over while you are away on holiday. This function protects your house from such things as burst water pipes during the winter.

Another useful function is a filter warning. This tells you when it is time to change the filters. It is a job that it is easy to forget to do. Not regularly changing the filters makes your heating/cooling system inefficient and costs you money.

For some people the issue of how easy it is to program a thermostat is an important factor. All manufacturers claim that their thermostat is easy to program. It is best to take this with a pinch of salt and consult someone at Home Depot and read reviews on line to discover really how easy to program a particular device is.

Another important thing to consider is swing control. Lux Products and Hunter Programmable Thermostats have swing control. Swing control allows you to set a range within which the thermostat operates. So, for example, if you set the swing control to 3 degrees and set the thermostat to 75 degrees then the heating/cooling won't come on until the room temperature drops below 72 degrees or rises beyond 78 degrees. Having the ability to change swing control allows you to protect your HVAC system from continually cycling. It does damage to boilers and other HVAC equipment if the heating/cooling is continually going on and off in response to the smallest fluctuations in temperature.

Finally, another thing to remember is to ask about a warranty when you buy a programmable thermostat. All reputable firms will give at least a year warranty on their products. Along with a warranty you should inquire if there is any customer help line and email address. This is especially useful if you run into problems during installation.

Help With Buying a Programmable Thermostat

Find out more about the best programmable thermostats and other green products to save you money.

THER MOS PA