Program Your Thermostat For Year-Round Energy Savings
A programmable thermostat can help you lower your home’s energy consumption, along with your utility bills.
Although you can always turn a manual thermostat down when you go to bed at night and turn it up again when your rise — or down when you go to work and up when you come back home — it’s easy to forget. A programmable thermostat does all the work for you — once you’ve programmed it. No need to remember anything.
So how do you program your thermostat for year-round energy savings? That depends largely on your daily activities and your comfort level. Energy Star advises the following regimen during the heating season. Program the thermostat to:
- Go down eight degrees when you’re ready for bed
- Return to 70 degrees shortly before you rise
- Go down eight degrees when you leave for work
- Return to 70 degrees shortly before you come home
During the cooling season, Energy Star advises that you program your thermostat to:
- Go down four degrees at bedtime
- Return to 78 degrees shortly before you wake up
- Go up to 85 degrees when you leave for work
- Return to 78 degrees shortly before you come back home
This pattern can shave nearly $200 off an average homeowner’s annual utility bill, according to Energy Star. You can realize even more savings by programming your thermostat to accommodate your Saturday and Sunday schedules, as well. And today’s smart programmable thermostats offer additional options. You can monitor your home-comfort systems from your computer at work and make changes via your smartphone.
Of course, your savings will vary according to your routine. Some family members may be at home all day, so you might not be able to realize the daytime savings. Or you may have an infant or elderly person in your family who can’t tolerate higher or lower temperatures. That said, even moderate changes can yield energy savings.
Have any questions about programmable thermostats or home-comfort systems? Call Apollo Home Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing. We’ve served the Cincinnati area since 1910.
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