Using a programmable thermostat is one of the simplest ways North Carolina residents can achieve energy savings. However, if you don’t know the most effective tricks, you might lose out. Here are a few practices that can help you make the most of this home comfort unit:

• During winter, program energy-saving settings that are a few degrees cooler than your preferred temperatures. (During summer, set them a few degrees warmer.) Keep these cycles running for at least eight hours at a time. Good times for this are during the day, when everyone is at work or school, or at night when everyone is sleeping.
• Try not to manually override your pre-set programs too often- it uses more energy.
• If your programmable thermostat has a setting for “hold,” “permanent,” or “vacation,” only use it when you’ll be gone for an extended length of time. Plug in your energy-saving settings for the entire time you’ll be gone.
• Don’t raise the temperature on your programmable thermostat in an attempt to heat up the house more quickly when you get home. Raising it to a warmer temperature doesn’t mean your furnace will create heat more quickly. By the time your new temperature is reached, you’ll already be warm, and your system will have gone through unnecessary strain.
• If your building includes an addition or elements that are difficult to keep comfortable, such as foyers or a sprawling design, consider installing more than one thermostat. Installing a unit in each zone is called “zone control,” and allows you to save energy by more precisely controlling the distribution of warm or cool air.
• If you have a battery-operated unit, change the batteries at least annually. Most models will alert you when they need new batteries.

Programmable thermostats are complex units. Some models can keep track of weather patterns, and anticipate when to begin heating or cooling, so your house will be at your settings at the right time. If you’d like to install a new thermostat or have your current one serviced, call Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about programmable thermostats and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning services the Raleigh, NC area. Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!

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