Here’s a Guide to Selecting a New Programmable Thermostat

If you’re shopping for an effective programmable thermostat for your home, pat yourself on the back. You’ve already made the most important decision – deciding to upgrade your home’s thermostat situation in the first place.

But there’s still work to do, including deciding what sort of programmable thermostat to purchase.

As your favorite Cincinnati AC and furnace repair partner, we are happy to share some of what we’ve learned about programmable thermostats:

Common Programmable Thermostats

• Heat only or cool only.

• Single-stage heating and cooling. This thermostat will control the temperature for both your heating system (such as a gas furnace or electric baseboard heating) and cooling system (for example, a split-system central AC).

• Multi-stage cooling and heating. This thermostat will control multiple heating and cooling sources. One example is a heat pump with a backup (auxiliary or emergency) heating system.

• Electric heat/line voltage. As the name implies, this is for electric heaters or baseboard systems.

• Heat pump. Air-source heat pumps usually need a specialized thermostat designed to increase the temperature gradually when in heating mode, to avoid triggering the auxiliary/backup heating component.

This is to be avoided during moderate temperatures, since the backup heating uses a lot more energy ($$) than regular heat pump operation.

Scheduling Options

You’ll need to decide what scheduling/programming options to include in your programmable thermostat selection. Generally speaking, the more versatile the programming options, the higher the cost of the thermostat.

In this context, the “program” just means what times the thermostat will change the temperature settings during the day and week.

• 7-day. The most versatile option, this allows a separate program for every day of the week.

• 5-2-day. You can set one program for five days (in most households, that would include the weekdays) and a separate program that applies to Saturday and Sunday.

• 5-1-1. Similar to the 5-2 model, this offers you a separate programming option for one weekend day and another option for the other weekend day, plus the weekday program.

• One-week programming. With this, the least versatile option, you have to employ the same program every day of the week.

Enhanced Features

• WiFi connectivity. You can control your programmable thermostat from any remote location where your smartphone, laptop or notepad device has a wireless internet connection.

For example, if you’re at the office and realize you’ll be coming home late, you can adjust the program to turn the heating or cooling up (or down) shortly before your new arrival time.

• Manual override. This feature will override your programmed settings for temporary situations. No one has a schedule that’s so set in stone that it doesn’t change occasionally.

• Adaptive technology. These state-of-the-art thermostats can “learn” your behavior and preferences when it comes to temperatures and other interior climate factors (such as humidity control), and operate accordingly.

Why do you need all of these fancy features?

Nearly all of them in some way or other will help you save energy and money while cooling or heating your home efficiently and comfortably. That helps your family budget as well as the environment.

And whatever amount of money you spend on a new programmable thermostat, eventually will pay back in lower energy bills.