Programmable Thermostat for Temperature Control
A Heating Thermostat can Help Save Money on Energy Bills
Nov 12, 2009
It is most efficient to only heat your home to the required temperature and to let it cool down in the day time, when people are out and when everyone is in bed. A fully programmable thermostat will help maintain the perfect temperature and reduce energy bills.
Thermostats can be wireless, digital, or easy to use. One of the leading names in controls for heating and air conditioning is Honeywell.
Versatile Programmable Thermostats for Heating
The heating can be programmed to turn on and off at different time and can be set for different temperatures at different times of the day. A new thermostat offering this amount of control over the heating can usually be added to an existing heating system.
When planning to install a new heating system there are further degrees of control that the resident might enjoy. Heating can also be designed in zones, allowing different settings for different areas of the building.
Thermostat for Furnaces and Forced Air Heating Systems
Many people mistakenly believe that it will be better to leave the heating on and the thermostat set to the same temperature all day and night.
Logic, physics and research show that the furnace does not work harder to warm the home from a lower temperature than it would have done to keep the home at a consistently high temperature. The U.S Department of Energy state that the longer the thermostat is set on a low temperature, and the lower the setting, the more energy will be saved. Saved energy, of course, means lower bills.
Room Thermostats and Thermostatic Radiator Valves
On central heating systems which combine boilers, water and radiators then a room thermostat is recommended even if there are thermostatic radiatior valves (TRVs) in place. This is because a thermostat will turn the boiler off when the temperature is reached. TRVs do not turn off the boiler, they simply turn down the heating on one radiator, the hot water continues to be pumped around the system.
What is the Best Thermostat Setting?
In contrast to the day time, most of us are more comfortable with a warmer temperature in the evening when we relax and the outside temperature drops. In the day we are likely to be more physically active and the house will also benefit from solar gain, that is, the natural warmth of sunlight through windows.
For most of the 24 hour day the heating could be switched off or down to a very low setting (for example,13 Centigrade or 55 Fahrenheit). The evening temperature could be raised to around 21 C (70 F). If there is a danger of the outside temperature dropping to near freezing then the heating should be kept on to keep the house warm.
Controlling the temperature of your home and the output of your heating system will make a substantial difference to energy use and fuel bills through the colder months. Heating can be controlled manually, for most people, however, a fully programmable thermostat will be more convenient.
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