Skip to content
Save energy with a new HVAC Install and smart thermostat

Is Your Thermostat Good Enough?

If your heating and cooling system isn’t as efficient as you’d prefer, this may be because of the thermostat. Older, basic thermostats don’t offer much control over your HVAC system, allowing it to waste energy and your money. To better protect your finances, consider upgrading your thermostat. Check out these commonly asked questions to determine if your thermostat is good enough.

CAN YOU PROGRAM IT?

With a basic thermostat, you have to manually change the temperature as needed. Of course, if you forget to turn off the heat when you leave or go to bed, this can waste a lot of energy and money. Many families have common schedules that they follow daily or weekly. For this reason, getting a programmable thermostat can save you time and money.

If your schedule changes throughout the week, a 7-day programmable thermostat is a good idea. This allows you to program each day differently. If your weekdays are the same, but your weekends follow a different schedule, you can also choose models that use the same schedule during the week and a different schedule on the weekend.

CAN YOU ACCESS IT REMOTELY?

If you want to access your thermostat from anywhere, a smart thermostat may be better than a programmable thermostat. With smart thermostats, you get an app for your phone, which allows you to monitor and adjust the heat as necessary. This may be beneficial if your schedule changes a lot or you frequently forget to turn off the heat.

More expensive models may also provide an online account so you can use your computer instead of your phone. Some advanced smart thermostats can actually work with the entire home, such as having the lights automatically turn on, which can turn your entire home into a smart home.

CAN IT TAKE A VACATION?

If you plan to take a vacation, you don’t always need to heat and cool your home. With a basic thermostat, if you forget to turn it off before you leave, you’ll heat or cool an empty home, wasting money. Some programmable and smart thermostats provide a vacation or hold mode.

This is just a function to ensure the entire system is off and doesn’t waste any energy. Of course, you can also use the smart thermostat app to adjust the heat while you’re away. In this case, you would be able to get the home ready for you, such as turning back on the heat or cooling before you get home so that the home is comfortable.

DOES IT OFFER PLENTY OF INFORMATION?

Your thermostat should tell you what the current temperature inside the house is, but the more information yours provides, the better. For example, some thermostats may show the weather for the following days, which makes it easier to plan your heating/cooling program. You might also like if the thermostat tells you when the filter needs cleaning or changing.

To really control your energy consumption, you may want to consider a smart thermostat with energy tracking and reports. These will let you see exactly how much energy you use and when. With this information, you’ll be able to make adjustments that can keep the energy bills low. Last, a good thermostat has room sensors to measure the temperature in each room.

A basic thermostat will get the job done, but they are incredibly inefficient. Programmable and smart thermostats may be more expensive and complicated to install, but they may actually save you money by better controlling how you heat and cool your home. If you would like a quote on a new heating and air installation with a smart thermostat, contact us, JW Heating & Air.