What Is A Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat is a control panel on your wall that tells your heating and cooling system when to turn on and off. Instead of manually changing the temperature every time you leave the house or go to bed, you set a daily or weekly schedule. The thermostat combines the Greek words thermos for hot and statos for standing or stationary. The first programmable versions appeared in the 1970s to help homeowners save energy during the oil crisis. Today, they're a standard part of modern HVAC & Climate Control setups.
These devices come with different scheduling options to match your lifestyle. A seven day model lets you set a unique schedule for every single day of the week. Another popular model gives you one schedule for Monday through Friday and a different one for the weekend. Some models even separate Saturday and Sunday so you can treat those days differently. You simply pick the times you wake up, leave for work, return home, and go to sleep. The thermostat does the rest of the work automatically.
Why It Matters To You
The main reason to install one is to save money on your monthly utility bills. You can program the device to lower the heat or raise the air conditioning while you are away at work. Then, you can set it to return to a comfortable temperature right before you walk through the front door. This means you stop paying to heat or cool an empty house.
Using a schedule provides several great benefits for your home:
- It lowers your energy bills by reducing daily waste.
- It keeps your home comfortable without constant manual adjustments.
- It reduces wear and tear on your furnace and air conditioner.
- It extends the lifespan of your internal heating and cooling parts.
Where You Will Find It
You'll usually find the thermostat mounted on an interior wall in a central room like a hallway or a living room. It needs to be away from direct sunlight, drafty windows, and air vents so it gets an accurate reading of the room temperature. If it sits in a hot sunny spot, it'll think the whole house is hot and run your air conditioner too long. If you're reading up on Your First Week as a Homeowner, checking your thermostat schedule and location should be high on your list of things to do.
Older homes might still have manual dial thermostats containing mercury. If you have one of those, upgrading is a smart and easy project. When you take the old unit off the wall, you'll see a bundle of colored wires. These wires connect the thermostat to your furnace and air conditioner. Modern digital thermostats often require a common wire, known as a C wire, to provide constant power to the digital screen.
Costs And Upgrades
Buying a basic programmable thermostat will cost you 30 to 100 dollars at a local hardware store. If you want a smart thermostat that connects to your home internet and learns your habits, you'll pay 150 to 300 dollars. Keep in mind that prices and installation ranges vary based on your location and system type. Many utility companies offer rebates that can drop the price of a smart thermostat by 50 to 100 dollars.
If you're handy, you can usually install a new thermostat yourself in about an hour. You just need to turn off the power, label the old wires, and attach them to the new baseplate. However, if your home lacks a C wire, you might need help from an electrician. If you decide to look into DIY vs. Hiring a Pro, expect to pay an extra 100 to 200 dollars for labor to have a professional install it for you.
