This article explains how to choose a home thermostat, remove your old thermostat, and install a new programmable home thermostat. According to energystar.gov, “The average household spends more than $2,000 a year on energy bills — nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling. Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings.”

Selecting the Proper Type of Thermostat

There are literally hundreds of choices when it comes to selecting the proper thermostat for your home. There are different shapes, sizes, and brands to choose from. There are many questions to consider when making a selection. Do I have electric or gas heat? Do I have a heat pump? Not all thermostats will work with all HVAC systems. There are two main types of home thermostats: Digital and non-digital (manual). Within the digital selection there are programmable and non-programmable.

Since Fulton Street Plumbing and Heating is focused on energy savings and lowering energy costs to both homeowners and business, we are going to only review the digital, programmable type of thermostat. The digital feature is displayed on a LCD screen and is even offered in a touch-screen display on some higher-end models. Programmable thermostats can save up to 33% on home energy costs, which means the thermostat can pay for itself in a short amount of time. The vast majority of these thermostats are Energy Star qualified. The programmable type is designed for those that wake at a certain time, leave the home at a certain time, return a certain time, and go to bed at a certain time (on a regular basis), The non-programmable type will work fine in a home in which someone is always home day and night. However, in a home where the occupants are gone for long periods of time, such as for work, and are on a regular schedule, programmable is the most energy efficient choice. All programmable thermostats have options to over-ride the program for manual settings. The pre-programmed settings that come with Energy Star qualified programmable thermostats are intended to deliver savings without sacrificing comfort.