Having proper air conditioning is essential, not only for the comfort of your home, but the safety of your family, as well. With prices of energy rising, programmable thermostats are becoming a hugely popular option. Despite their obvious benefits, however, they might not be the perfect solution for everyone. The lure of programmable thermostats is, of course, the ability to save money month after month. Though this benefit does exist, it doesn’t necessarily mean that cool model with all the bells-and-whistles you saw in the local home improvement store will work magic for your home.
Pros and Cons of Programmable Thermostats
Obviously, the main advantage of the programmable thermostat is the reduced energy expenditure. They offer multiple settings for different times of the day, allowing you to keep your house cool and comfortable, while saving money. You can program your thermostat to turn on the air conditioning or heat an hour before you wake up and turn it up or down during different times of the day, to accommodate the weather.
Programmable thermostats commonly account for a large percentage of energy savings for many residential and small business energy efficiency programs. For some portfolios, because of the limited number of devices that can affect gas savings for these sectors, programmable thermostats are the primary equipment aimed at attaining gas savings goals. However, evaluations reveal that actual energy savings for these devices often fall short of expected savings. —American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
However, if you’re working from your home or have children that spend most of their days at home, a programmable thermostat might not be the most efficient solution. Apart from being near impossible to program the thermostat effectively, you also need to consider whether it’s compatible with your air conditioning and heating system. Here are some more pros and cons you should know about programmable thermostats:
Pros of Programmable Thermostats
- Cutting down energy use in your home. This is mentioned above, but, it bears repeating because this is the absolute number one reason homeowners purchase these high-tech devices. They can save money by making smart energy use easier in your home.
- Having the ability to make automatic adjustments. With a programmable thermostat, you’ll be able to schedule run times for cooling and heating automatically.
- Increasing comfort levels of family and guests. Because these devices are programmable, you can enjoy a more comfortable living environment, setting the temperature to start cooling or heating before you arrive home.
- Remote monitoring and controlling. Some of these models can also be controlled remotely, which makes it super simple to turn a system on or off, whichever you might need.
Cons of Programmable Thermostats
- The upfront cost is significantly higher. For the boost in technology and better energy use, you’ll pay upfront for the convenience. These devices can be much more costly than regular digital thermostats.
- Setup can be time consuming and difficult. This is where the most frustration comes from for those who do not have experience. These devices can be quite difficult to initially setup and complicated to get it right.
- Not being compatible with your system. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about programmable thermostats is they aren’t necessarily universal. The device you buy might not work with your residential HVAC system.
Before you purchase and install a programmable thermostat, give us a call and we’ll be happy to send out an experienced technician to look at your system and make proper the recommendations. We serve the entire Valley of the Sun and the greater Phoenix area. Just phone 480-659-6497 or go to our service page.
