How to Program Your Thermostat

Even one programmable thermostat can reduce your home heating and cooling costs by up to 10% per year. The trick is you have to use it faithfully, unlike 90% of US households. If you’re in that 90% group and a lack of basic training is keeping you from becoming an unabashed programmable thermostat user, here are a few pointers that can help turn the tide. For starters, there are four basic types of program settings:

• 1-Week Programming: This allows you to set one heating/cooling plan for the entire week. This works best if you have a consistent family schedule.
• 7-Day Programming: This allows you to set different heating/cooling schedules for each day of the week. Great for households with hectic, ever-changing schedules.
• 5-2 Programming: One heating/cooling schedule during the week, another for the weekend.
• 5-1-1 Programming: Like the 5-2 sets, except Saturdays and Sundays get their schedules.

Change Factory Settings. Your thermostat probably came preset for the “typical” household, but we know today’s families are anything but typical. Take time to adjust the settings to match your family’s lifestyle, considering wake time, sleep time, departure, and arrival.

• Reduce the heat or increase the cooling temperature 30 minutes before leaving the house.
• Increase heat or reduce cooling 30 minutes before you return home.
• Reduce the heat or increase cooling an hour before you go to bed.
• Increase heat or reduce cooling 30 minutes before you wake for the day.

Recommended Winter Setting – While you’re home and awake, keep the temperature set at 68°F. Lower it by 10 degrees for the time you’re away or sleeping.

Summer Setting – While home, program the thermostat to 72°F. Raise the temperature for the time you will be out of the house. On milder days and nights when you don’t need cooling, manually turn off the air conditioning. For the ultimate convenience, opt for a Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat, one you can control anywhere, anytime from your smartphone or tablet. Ideal for those times when normal schedules just don’t apply.

Contact Bob Boldt HVAC today for more information on how to enjoy maximum flexibility and energy savings with one or more new programmable thermostats.