Did you know that you can save as much as 10% a year on your heating and cooling costs by utilizing a programmable thermostat? At Getzschman Heating and Air Conditioning, we like to help our customers save as much money as possible on heating and cooling costs, so we’re breaking down the details on how to save with your programmable thermostat.
5 Easy Programmable Thermostat Tips:
- Examine Schedules – think of everyone’s schedule in the household and find blocks of time that you can turn back the temperature without impacting comfort.
- Identify Times for Programming – For example, if your family is away for work and school from 8 am to 3 pm, you can lower your thermostat settings during that time. To achieve the optimal level of savings, the U.S. Department of Energy suggests that you turn your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit for at least eight hours a day. Bedtime provides another ideal opportunity to lower the settings for better sleeping conditions.
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- Allow Time to Return to Normal Temperatures – Set your thermostat to return to your normal temperatures ahead of your return time. This gives your system time to warm or cool your home to your comfort level by the time you return. Using the example above, you may want to set your return time to 2:30 pm so your home is comfortable when you arrive after 3 pm.
- Consider Days of the Week – Is your scheduled time away from your home during weekdays only? Do you follow a different schedule on the weekends? Most programmable thermostats allow for six different settings so you can program different schedules throughout the week.
- Program Your Device – Now that you have mapped out your schedule, you are ready to do the one-time programming on your unit. Simply follow the prompts for choosing the day of the week and the temperature you want to set for your family.
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