According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), the average household spends over $2,000 annually on energy bills. Home heating and cooling account for up to 50% of this amount. Luckily, a programmable thermostat can help you save money. Here are some tips that you can use to achieve this goal.
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A study carried out by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab found that 90% of Americans rarely or never change the default settings on their thermostat. They claim it is because they simply do not know how to do it. This is surprising because thermostats usually come with detailed guides/manuals. In addition, anyone with a web-enabled device can easily find tutorials on programmable thermostats online. Unless you know how your thermostat works, you cannot use it to lower your energy expenses.
Energy-Saving Mode
Set your thermostat to revert to energy-saving mode when no one is at home. You should also do this when it is not necessary to heat/cool your home. For instance, the DOE recommends dialing down your thermostat. You can do this by 5 to 8 degrees whenever you will be away from home for several hours. You can also adjust your thermostat by the same range at night. Doing so will reduce energy consumption leading to lower power bills.
Proper Usage Of “Hold” Or “Vacation” Features
Unless you are planning to be away from home for an extended period, avoid using the “hold” or “vacation” feature. According to Energy Star, using this feature to manage energy consumption on a day-to-day basis leads to energy inefficiencies. To avoid this problem, you should set your thermostat several degrees lower when you are away in winter. You should set it several degrees higher in the summer. You can also use the “hold/vacation” feature during weekends. This is true, particularly, if no one is home.
Avoid Extreme Temperature Swings
Raising or lowering your thermostat settings by large margins is not advisable. Doing so does not heat or cool your home faster. The exception are thermostats with adaptive recovery features because they are designed to reach the pre-programmed temperature at the pre-set time. Nevertheless, monitoring the performance of your thermostat regularly will help you determine the most efficient way of heating/cooling your home fast.
Thermostat Checkups
Perform regular thermostat checkups to ensure that it is functioning as expected. For example, replacing the batteries if the thermostat display indicates they should be changed. A thermostat that does not function properly cannot help you lower home heating/cooling expenses.
Multiple Heating/Cooling Zones
Although most homes have one thermostat, you can maximize energy bill savings by installing and using multiple programmable thermostats. This will enable you to customize heating and cooling throughout your home more accurately. Hire a professional to install the extra thermostats in accordance with the relevant electrical engineering regulations/standards.
Programmable Thermostat New Brunswick NJ
A programmable thermostat can help you manage your domestic energy consumption. In fact, the EPA’s Energy Star program reckons that such a thermostat can help the average American household cut its annual energy bills by as much as $180. To enjoy similar benefits, you should learn how your thermostat works, create multiple heating/cooling zones, use the “hold/vacation” features, avoid extreme thermostat setting changes and ensure your thermostat is always in good working condition.
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