Programmable Thermostats

Last Updated on Thursday, 25 February 2010 04:46 Written by <a href='/jomsocial/62-iamrichard/profile'>Richard</a> Saturday, 01 March 2008 01:13

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The Programmable Thermostat

Touchscreen Programmable Thermostat

Programmable thermostats are often vast mysteries to many people. Programmable thermostats are often daunting and cause intimidation in others. It is akin to the ever challenging VCR and setting the time on it. Never fear, sit back and relax, take a deep breathe, and become one with your programmable thermostat for High Performance HVAC Systems will help you take the mystery and frustration out of programmable thermostats.

There has been some debate whether a programmable thermostat will save money for the average person. There have been extensive studies done and while someone can find one to disagree with this article programmable thermostats can save you money depending on the system you have and how you program the thermostat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy the average homeowner spends 46 cents out of every dollar they pay in utilities to heat and cool their home. By taking an interest in energy savings, especially in their HVAC systems, one can realize a significant drop in the money they spend on their heating and cooling. This "interest in energy savings" not only includes adding a programmable thermostat but also an overall improvement of the entire structure including reducing infiltration and exfiltration, eliminating leaks in duct work, installing high efficiency equipment at the end of the HVAC systems life span, and having a good maintenance plan to ensure efficient and safe operation of the equipment.

Here is an odd little video for those considering getting a programmable thermostat. It will encourage you to upgrade from a regular manual thermostat to a programmable thermostat.

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The programmable thermostat, as long as it used in a proper manner, will save you money as long as your dwelling fits the profile of owning a programmable thermostat. If you are retired or at home all day then the only benefit to owning a programmable thermostat will be the setback option at night when everyone is sleeping or the dwelling is unoccupied. If you are on a regular schedule and leave the dwelling on that regular schedule then the programmable thermostat can add much to your energy savings. Here is the generic programmable options available in most programmable thermostats:

Wake - this is where the program will enable either heating or cooling in the morning when you wake up. Some newer programmable thermostats have adaptive learning technology so that if you wake at six a.m. and set the wake function to six a.m. the thermostat will start earlier than six a.m. so that the thermostats programmed set point is achieved by that time.
Depart or Leave - you wake at 6 a.m. and by 7:30 a.m. you depart for work. This is where you change the set point so the equipment is off most of the time when no one is at home. A word of caution is advised when turning the set point back. If the outside ambient temperature is going to be in the extreme it is a good idea to use minimal set points on the set back. This does not mean you have to reprogram the thermostat every time there are outside ambient temperature extremes. Even the best systems will experience long run time hours when the outside temperatures are in the extreme. This means do not set the set point back 20 degrees and set the time for the equipment to come on thirty minutes before you arrive home and expect the place to comfortable. Chances are the system will not achieve set point by the time you arrive home unless the programmable thermostat has adaptive learning technology and that feature is enabled. Experiment with your programmable thermostat and the programmed set points and you will find the sweet spot where the system will give you maximum energy savings and maintain comfort to your satisfaction.
Return - This is the time and temperature you want upon your return home.
Sleep - this is the time and set point you want when you go to bed (or in a business the time when the building will be unoccupied). Again, as with depart or leave, it is wise advice not to set the set points back to much as the system must be able to catch up for the wake function unless the thermostat has the adaptive learning function enabled.

One other note concerning programmable thermostats. If you have a boiler you need to know that the lag time it takes the boiler to heat the house will affect the temperature in the home. Hot water heat is not instantaneous heat like other methods of heating like forced air furnaces or heat pumps. The only benefit to having a programmable thermostat with a boiler will be if the programmable thermostat is equipped with adaptive learning technology. The programmable thermostat with adaptive learning technology will measure the time it takes the system, no matter what type of heating or cooling system you have, to attain set point and will adjust the time it takes to bring the system on so that set point is achieved according to program set points and the time you want that set point.

In addition to adaptive learning technology, the Honeywell Vision Pro Programmable Thermostat also has a filter change reminder setting which you can set based on actual run time of the fan. This is a great feature for those people who often forget to change their filters.

Here is another little video of a touch screen programmable thermostat. Watch as the user scrolls through some of the features and options in the programmable thermostat. The thermostat is not the Honeywell Vision Pro Programmable Thermostat but each have similar programs.

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