Programmable vs. Non-Programmable Thermostats

Regulating your home’s temperature is one of the simplest ways to save money and energy all year long.  Want to save money in the winter?  Turn the heat down.  Trying to cut back a little this July? Turn the air conditioning down.  It is very simple, and it can be done with any type of home thermostat- programmable or non-programmable.  However, programmable thermostats offer the benefits of convenience and consistency.

A programmable thermostat can be programmed to automatically change temperatures at different times of the day. For example, if everyone is out of the house between and 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day, the thermostat can be set to lower the heat (or air conditioning) during that time because what is the point in having your furnace or air conditioner work hard to heat or cool an empty home?  Though you can manually adjust the temperatures with a non-programmable thermostat, chances are there will be days that you will forget to, which decreases the efficiency.

Furthermore, with a programmable thermostat, it can be set to change the temperature back to normal a bit before everyone gets home so you do not walk into a chilly house after work or school. Whereas you would need to wait until you got home to adjust a non-programmable thermostat.  Other than during the day, there are additional recommended times for turning down the heat or air conditioning, such as at night while everyone is asleep.  It is important to remember that with both a programmable and non-programmable thermostat to not turn down the heat too far in the winter in order to reduce the risk of pipes freezing.

Programmable thermostats usually come with pre-set temperatures to help you start saving money and energy, but the settings can be changed based on your family’s needs.  A programmable thermostat offers the convenience of automatic energy saving, while also increasing the energy savings by being consistent on a day to day basis.  For more information about programmable thermostats, or if you are interested in learning more about Bryant programmable thermostats-contact FLAME!