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Thermostats & Control Systems

You can save as much as 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10%-15% for eight hours. You can do this automatically without sacrificing comfort by installing an automatic setback or programmable thermostat.

General Thermostat Operation

You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68’F
while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. By turning your thermostat back 101-150 for 8 hours, you can save about 5%-15% a year on your heating bill-a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates.

In the summer, you can follow the same strategy with central air conditioning, too, by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are away, and lowering the thermostat setting to 78’F (26’C) only when you are at home and need cooling. Although thermostats can be adjusted manually, programmable thermostats will avoid any discomfort by returning temperatures to normal as you wake or return home.

Choosing and Programming a Programmable Thermostat

Digital thermostats offer the most features in terms of multiple setback settings, overrides ‘ and adjustments for daylight savings time, but may be difficult for some people to program. Electromechanical systems often involve pegs or sliding bars and are relatively simple to program.

When programming your thermostat, consider when you normally go to sleep and wake up. If you prefer to sleep at a cooler temperature during the winter, you might want to start the temperature setback a bit ahead of the time you actually go to bed; you probably won’t notice the house cooling off as you prepare for bed. Also consider the schedules of everyone in the household; is there a time during the day when the house is unoccupied for four hours or more? If so, it makes sense to adjust the temperature during those periods.

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