Many hea ting and cooling specialists have been recommending programmable thermostats as a way to save on energy costs and Global warming. Some researchers have suggested that they don't save money and aren't very useful.
Programmable (also called setback or automatic) thermostats can save moneyand keep your house more comfortable but it will only do this if you use them correctly.
With a manual thermostat, it's easy to forget to turn down the heat when everyone is tucked into bed or during the day when the family is at school and work. The programmable thermostat is the painless way to reduce yourenergy by remembering to do this for you. Using it correctly and making adjustments when necessary allow you to get rich slowly by saving ten percent on your energy bills in a year.
When shopping for a programmable thermostat look for one that has a clock timer and at least two setback and reset periods a day. Even good ones are fairly inexpensive to buy these days. Just make sure you look for an Energy Star rated programmable thermostat. The Natural Resources Canada website provides some useful technical information and definitions.
Use this thermostat to program your air-conditioner or heating settings to match your lifestyle according to the schedule you set it to operate. For example in the summer you might like to sleep with the windows open, so you can set the thermostat to turn the air-conditioner off between nine in the evening and nine in the morning. The idea is to deliver savings without having to sacrifice comfort.
When programming settings for different times of the day, you will achieve maximum efficiencies by allowing for minimal heating or cooling during the day or night. Set your temperatures for at least eight hour periods.
Don't worry if you come home unexpectedly in the middle of the day. All programmable thermostats have an over-ride setting so you can temporarily heat or cool your home without erasing the pre-set programming.
[Photographs copyright by Linda Dunbar. Reproduction prohibited]
