Today’s homeowner has many HVAC thermostat options. As technology has advanced, so has the thermostat and its capabilities. You can spend a little, or spend much more, depending on what you want to accomplish with your thermostat.
Manual Thermostat
You may be just fine with an old-school analog thermostat. These basic devices have been around a long time, and work well for those who don’t mind getting up and making adjustments as needed manually. These round, dial-face, non-programmable thermostats are now mercury-free, and are wired into the home’s electric system.
Also available are manually-operated digital models that are operated manually. Although also wired into the home’s electric system, they may be battery-operated so that the readout is always available.
Programmable Thermostats
Programmable thermostats represented a technological revolution when they appeared on the market, allowing the user the opportunity to program a schedule in advance. Programmable thermostats are available in different modes.
Some allow the user only one schedule weekly; others allow one schedule for the weekdays and a different schedule for the weekend, while still others may offer the ability to program a different schedule every day. Some models limit the number of program periods you have a day.
The main advantage of programmable thermostats is you can program schedules that help you save money. For instance, you might want to set the thermostat higher to save on utilities when weather is hot, say when occupants are sleeping or away. You’d program the thermostat lower for times when people are getting up or arriving home.
Smart Thermostat
This is the latest wave of thermostats. You can choose smart thermostats that are as sophisticated as you like, but all work by allowing you to operate the HVAC system through an app in a smart device. The major advantage is you can be close or far away to change the temperature.
Learning thermostats are a kind of smart thermostat that senses when you are in the house, learns your patterns and makes adjustments to the temperature accordingly.
For more on thermostat options, contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company of Yuma.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 928-723-3183.
