5 Digital Thermostat Programming Tips for Homeowners

If you’ve been looking for a way to save a considerable amount of money on your annual energy costs, one thing that you might want to consider doing is investing in a digital thermostat. In fact, according to many energy experts, by making this one eco-friendly upgrade, you can save as much as 30-40 percent on your utility bills annually.

Of course, in order to take full advantage of these kinds of savings, you need to do more than simply have this kind of thermostat installed. You also need to know some tricks when it comes to programming it properly. So, if you’re curious about how you can make the absolute most of your digital thermostat, please keep reading.

Don’t do a lot of fluctuating with the temperature. One mistake that a lot of owners of digital thermostats make is adjusting it far more often than they should. There are a lot of published articles on energy conservation that state that you can leave your thermostat set to around 73 degrees virtually all year round and remain quite comfortable inside of your house. So try and avoid the temptation of coming in from the extreme heat or cold and drastically changing the setting on your thermostat. More times than not, after a few moments, your body will feel close to the temperature that is inside if you just wait.

Set it lower in the evening. There is one exception to the previous rule and that’s late at night. Whether it’s during the summer or winter, it’s best if you lower the setting in the evening. In the summer, the reason why is because it’s cooler outside. And in the winter, thanks to things like flannel sheets and space heaters, you don’t have to worry quite as much about turning up your thermostat in order to stay warm.

Use a different thermostat if you have zoning. One of the best things to ever happen to home energy costs is zoning. That’s a process in which your house is broken up into sections and each section has its own programmable thermostat. That way, you can make different parts of your home a different temperature without spending a lot on energy costs. Just make sure that if you do decide to go with this option that you have a programmed setback thermostat for each zone. They’re convenient and can help keep your home at a more comfortable temperature (for less money). For more information on zoning your HVAC system, visit Zone First.

Change the batteries regularly. Although programmable thermostats are built to be long-lasting, that doesn’t mean that they don’t require a bit of maintenance. One maintenance tip is to check its batteries twice a year. As far as how often you’ll need to swap out the old batteries for some new ones, typically you should do so once year. Luckily, some thermometers are designed in such a way that they’ll alert you to where new batteries are needed so that you won’t have to remind yourself.

Rely on your ceiling fans and exhaust fans. If you’re looking to save money on energy this summer or winter, there’s one more digital thermostat programming tip that actually has more to do with the fans that you have inside of your home than the thermometer itself. If you’re tempted to adjust your thermostat from 73 to74 degrees, before you do, try turning on your ceiling fans. By setting them to rotate in the regular position in the summer and counterclockwise in the winter, the fans can alter the temperature in the rooms of your house by as much as 5-7 degrees. And if you happen to live in a climate that is humid, using your exhaust fans can help to make your home more comfortable as well. That way, you won’t have to rely as much on your thermostat, which means that you can save on monthly energy costs. For tips on how to find the best digital thermostat for your house, visit Programmable-Thermostats-Review.TopTenReviews.com.