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Saving money on heating and cooling your home
Programmable Thermostat are a great way to conserve energy in your home. The major benefit is that you can program it for different temperatures for different times of the day.
This way when you are at work you do not need to have the heat on to heat an empty house. The model I have has 4 different times of day to program.
- Morning
- Day
- Evening
- Night
Each time zone can be programmed to determine their time and their temperature. You also have different settings for heating and cooling, so basically you can set it and forget it.
How to save
Winter Time
During the morning time you will probably not need to set the thermostat to be too hot. The sun is usually up and you can start to benefit from the heat produced by the sun shining into your windows. Simply open your blinds when you wake. The Day setting can be set for the time you are away at work. If you leave for work at 8 am and don't return until 6 pm (this includes drive time to and from work), then make sure that you have those times set and lower the temperature accordingly. It is not a good idea to lower it too much. This way your heating will not have to work over time once you return home from work. Obviously the Evening time setting is the time when it will be the coldest. This time zone would be from the time you get home from work until the time you go to bed. Whatever you decide the comfortable setting is is up to you. Keep in mind it is more cost effective to wear pajamas in the winter than to heat your home, so you can walk around without clothes on. The Night time setting is for when you will be in bed. This time zone can be set 2-4 degrees lower than your evening setting because most likely you will be under the covers for that time.
Summer Time
Summer time works the same as the winter. You will have the 4 different time zones that can each be programmed differently. These are set for the "Cool" setting of the thermostat
Another nice feature of Programmable Thermostats is some have the ability to let you know when it is time to change your furnace filters. Remeber dirty furnace filters waste energy by making your air conditioner or heater work harder to produce the same flow.
Washable Furnace Filters
I started using the washable furnace filters. They block more particulate matter than the cheap fiberglass ones everyone usually buys. Initially you will have to spend more money on them, but they last along time. Since they filter more of the indoor air pollutants like dust and pollen, washable furnace filters life more enjoyable for alergy suffers.
Invest in a Programmable Thermostat today. Most cost around $50, and take only a few tools to install.
Shop homedepot.com for Programmable Thermostats
If you need some instructions on how to do this visit Power House TV Installing a Programmable Thermostat |
