Digital Programmable Thermostats

A thermostat is a device that allows you to control the temperature inside your home by controlling the functions of a heating and or cooling system. Using a thermostat can save you up to 30% of your heating costs (since your heating system would turn on only when needed to maintain desired temperature, as opposed to running 24/7). Thermostats also offer an additional benefit of not needing to walk over to your furnace every time you wish to change the room temperature.

Programmable thermostats basically work the same way as the digital manual ones, but they are far more convenient.

Once you program the thermostat to customize the system's operation to fit your lifestyle and schedule, all you have to do is relax and let it do all the work.

To stay comfortable and save energy all season, you simply program into its memory the temperatures you need, at what time of the day.

You only need to program your thermostat once until the season or your lifestyle changes.

Depending on the model, a thermostat can be programmed in one of four ways :

• 1 day programming: The desired temperature can be set to change throughout the day

• 5-2 days programming: Like above, and you can have separate programs for weekdays and weekends

• 5-1-1 days programming: Like above, and you can have separate programs for weekdays, Saturday and Sunday

• 7 days programming : Like above, and you can have separate programs for each day of the week

Benefit Thermostat :

1. Convenience. Instead of heading towards your furnace every time you need to tweak the temperature up or down, you can place a thermostat at a convenient spot.
2. Energy savings. Instead of running your heater or furnace 24-7, a thermostat turns it on only when it is needed to maintain the desired temperature. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can program it to turn the heat down when you do not need it. Programming temperatures around 63�F on cold winter nights, when you're snuggled under blankets, can help you save as much as 30% on your heating costs. You can save even more by programming your system to "setback" the temperature when your family is away at work, at school, or on vacation.

Installing a thermostat

Some thermostats are simple enough to be installed as a DIY project, while other require professional installation. In many cases, some wiring work may be required. Consider the following guidelines when installing your thermostat:

• Make sure you have the right thermostat for your system. A thermostat meant to be used with a heat pump may not fit any other heating system.
  

• The thermostat should be located away from the room's cooling or heating vents or device, yet exposed to general airflow from the room to be regulated. If the thermostat is too close to the air vent, the system will tend to "short cycle", with numerous starts and stops that can be annoying and in some cases shorten equipment life.

• Placing the thermostat in open hallway may be most appropriate for a single zone system, where several rooms are operated as a single zone. In this case, the doors to these rooms should be open when the system is in use.

• For a larger area, setting up multiple zones controlled by different thermostats can save considerable energy, allowing different rooms to vary in temperature, and turning the heat and/or cooling off completely where it is not needed.