This month we are going to focus on the Energy Conservation pillar of HDT's mission.
With the first article, we would like to point out that buying and installing a programmable thermostat is not only a good way to save you money, but also help you use less energy.
A normal thermostat will monitor the temperature of your house and based on what setting you have it at, will heat or cool you house automatically. For example, if you set your thermostat to 68 degrees, it will start to heat your house when it detects the ambient temperature to be below 68 degrees. No problem, right? Well, your ol' fashioned run-of-the-mill thermostat will do this if you're in the house or not. So, unless you change the setting every time you leave the house you would be paying for the gas to heat the air when you're away at work, cooking classes, or perhaps the rodeo. In essence, your current thermostat is being asked to keep your house warm (or cool) even when you are not at home! Why waste the money?
Installing a programmable thermostat might be the solution for you. For as little as $30 you can get one of these bad boys, but the ones with the most useful setting will set you back about $50. Regardless of which model you get, they will all do the same basic thing. They can be programmed to heat and cool your house when you are in the house. You can set it to begin heating in the morning when you usually wake up and to stop when you and your family are off at work and school. It will kick back in when you head home and turn off when you head to sleep. You can even get ones that are pre-programmed to maximize energy savings.
If you're looking to get one of the deluxe versions, I've read that they can even monitor your furnace use and tell you when you need to get a tuning or when to change the air filters...based on how long your furnace has run! They may not be for everyone, because they can reach upwards of $300. (But it links with your cell phone!)
Here's a quick video from the EPA on programmable thermostats.
If you adjust your thermostat just one degree over 15 hours, you could save upwards of 2% on your fuel bill. Since most households spend about $1000 a year on heating and cooling, that thermostat would pay for itself in under a year. Hooray for saving money!
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