What You Need to Know About Thermostats

For the most part when it comes to our heating and cooling, we do not deal too much with the actual furnace or air conditioner.  However, one element of our heating and cooling system that we do deal with regularly is the thermostat.  Therefore, since the thermostat is the most relevant to many people, it is important to know a little bit more about it.  Here are a few tips from Energy Star to help you out:

Installation of Thermostats

• Shut off the electricity before installing a thermostat
• Do not place the thermostat near doors, bright lights, windows, skylights, heating/cooling vents or any other source of heat
• The thermostat should be installed on an interior wall
• If the job is bigger than originally thought, it always a good idea to contact an HVAC contractor to help you out, especially if it is more than simply a replacement of a thermostat.

Programmable Thermostats

Programmable thermostats are designed to save energy and money by automatically changing the temperature in your home.  For example, the programmable thermostat can be set to your specifications, so if most people are gone during the day, the heat or air conditioning will automatically turn down and can be set to automatically turn back up in the evening when they return.

Manual Thermostat Tips from Energy Star

If you do not have a programmable thermostat, and are not in a position to replace it, you can still participate in the savings.  Energy Star recommends adjusting the thermostat when you leave for the day, and when you go to sleep at night.  Changing the temperature just 5-8 degrees (up in the summer and down in the winter) can increase your savings.

For more information, contact Flame!