Don’t Waste Energy – Use A Programmable Thermostat

You want to come home after a long hot day to a comfortably cool home.  Unfortunately, setting your thermostat for that comfortable temperature while you are not home all day only benefits the utility company. Setting back a thermostat by 7 to 10 degrees for at least 8 hours a day can reduce your energy bill by 10 percent per year.

A programmable thermostat allows you to set your home temperature for certain days or a week at a time. Even on those days when the weather forecast may outfox you, many of today’s programmable thermostats can be changed via computer or smartphone.

Although features vary by model, most allow you to check the humidity level in your home, read maintenance reports, including warnings about clogged filters or potential system failure, and restore settings after a power or battery outage.

For example, in the summer, you can follow this practical schedule:

• 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. – 74 degrees
• 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. – 81 degrees
• 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. – 74 degrees
• 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. – 81 degrees

Of course, this is just a suggestion, you can set to any temp that makes you feel comfortable staying within the 7 to 10 degree difference.