Look on the market for a thermostat today and you’ll find thousands of different make and models. Despite this, thermostats mainly fall into three distinct categories. These would be the non-programmable thermostats, the programmable thermostats, and the smart thermostats. Most people don’t know it, but the thermostat plays a huge role in your home’s heating and cooling system. The thermostat will not only affect the overall performance of your unit, but it’ll affect the energy efficiency of your unit, making it run harder and longer than necessary.
While there are plenty of San Diego HVAC techs that can help you decide on a type of thermostat for your home or office, it pays to learn about the different types of thermostats and what features they’ll offer your home.
Non-Programmable Thermostats
If your system is ten years or older, it is more than likely you are currently utilizing a thermostat that falls into the non-programmable category. These thermostats are pretty simple straightforward and have nothing more than on and off settings. You’ll be able to turn the heat on, turn it off, turn the cool on, and turn it off. There will also likely be some fan control options that’ll allow you to control the operation of the blower motor as well.
These thermostats can fall into the mercury or digital categories as well. Just because you are utilizing a digital thermostat, it doesn’t mean that it’s programmable or equipped with smart technologies. The biggest downside to the mercury-style non-programmable t-stats is, they are incredibly inaccurate. They certainly won’t do your system any favors when it comes to energy efficiency.
Programmable Thermostats
As you’ve likely guessed, these are a big step up from the non-programmable options. These thermostats are basically just a representation of their name, as they all users to adjust the temperature according to a series of programmed settings. These settings can be set to take effect at different times of the day and night. When dealing with these types of thermostats, the thing to keep in mind is, heating and cooling losses are greater when there is a greater difference in temperatures.
This is the very thing that programmable thermostats are designed to stop. The problem with overcoming this very conundrum with a non-programmable thermostat is, it requires them to run all the time. For instance, if you want your home 75 degrees on a summer day when you arrive home after work, your unit will have to shut off and on all day. This won’t necessarily be the case with programmable thermostats.
You can program the thermostat to 75-degrees about an hour before you come home. The run won’t run when no one is in the house and kick on an hour before your arrival, cooling the temperature in the home to the desired setting. The same can be accomplished with the heating cycle, during the night, on the weekend, or while you are on vacation.
Smart Thermostats
Smart thermostats are pretty much the same as programmable thermostats. They’ll allow users to set specific temperatures for certain times of the day or night. That being said, the real major difference here is, these stats are connected to the Internet. This allows the users to monitor or change settings via an Internet-connected device.
Leave the home and forget to set your thermostat? Maybe you just discovered that the temperature is going to dramatically rise this afternoon. Whatever the situation, this is where smart thermostats come in handy. Users can access them via a connected device and make the desired changes.
What’s even more impressive with these thermostats is, they adjust to a resident’s way of life. After being installed in a specific location, they’ll monitor the temperatures and learn the desires of the homeowner. The thermostat will learn to automatically adjust the temperatures to match the homeowner’s unique desires. If these desires change, a resident moves in or moves out, the thermostat will adapt to these new circumstances.
When it comes to energy savings and less wear and tear on your heating and cooling system, it is hard t beat what the programmable or smart thermostats have to offer. These devices will save you money on your energy bills while also putting less strain on your system. Get in touch with your local San Diego HVAC tech and he or she will be able to help you choose a thermostat that best suits your home’s needs.
Why Hire Us!
- We are locally owned and operated in San Diego
- We service all brands of HVAC equipment
- We utilize state-of-the-art diagnostics tools to diagnose HVAC malfunctions
- Our technicians successfully completed accredited HVAC programs
- Our technicians are certified by North American Technician Excellence “NATE”
- We offer same-day and emergency HVAC diagnostics and repairs
- We give back to our communities by delivering high-quality HVAC service