Set a timer for your heater and AC
One of the top costs for a home is that to heat or cool the home. Having your home at a comfortable temperature setting is one of the advantages of modern day living. Help yourself cut the cost to have that advantage by installing, or using, a programmable thermostat.
A programmable thermostat is going to save you money because it is going to help you only heat and cool your home when you plan to be in it. Let's take a look at how they work, and what kind of savings you can expect with one:
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Programmable thermostats typically offer a number of programming options. You can set it to one schedule, that will be used 365 days a year. You can set it to a Weekday/Weekend program that allows you to adjust the timing for the work week, versus the weekend. Some allow you to do a program that has the same schedule for the weekdays, one for Saturday, and a different one for sunday. Thus your weekend does not have to be exactly the same. Others allow you to set up a schedule for seven days a week, meaning your Monday schedule can be different from your Tuesday, etc.
If you take the time to program your thermostat, you can have the heat kick on half an hour before you intend to wake up, so that the house has a chance to warm up (as you do not need to heat while you sleep, and you will actually sleep better if it is cooler), you can then have it maintain a lower temperature during the day until half an hour before you return home, and then back to that lower temperature when you typically go to bed. This is a great way to keep your heating and cooling systems from working too hard when you are at work, or away from your home.
Of course, not everyone has the same schedule the whole year, so one of the other benefits of a programmable thermostat is that many offer other special features depending on the manufacturer and model. Your thermostat may have these features:
A vacation override feature which allows you to temporarily override the programmed settings so that you are not heating and cooling when you are out of town.
Some have a keyboard lock so that kids, and unauthorized users can't change or reprogram your settings.
Some have an Energy Monitor that can keep track of how many hours the HVAC system has run for any selected time period. This is extremely useful when you are trying to cut costs
Some have a Filter Change Indicator that goes on after a pre-set time period to remind when it is time to clean or replace the filter.
Basically, programmable thermostats are designed to help save money on your utility bill and reduce energy waste. When used properly, an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat can cut your heating and cooling bills by 20-30 percent annually. This could mean an additional $300 or so in your cash reserve if you have an average size home.
