Upgrading a thermostat may seem like something that only needs to be done when the old one goes bad. However, anybody with an old mercury-filled thermostat should upgrade regardless of its condition or age. Those manual types lose precision over time, which means your HVAC system will begin to become less efficient as the thermostat wears out. But you can improve the comfort of your home just by upgrading a thermostat to a modern programmable model.
Programmable Thermostats Are the Way to Go
Since a programmable thermostat is all electronic, it should never lose its precision. That means your HVAC system will be as efficient as possible when it’s called on to either cool or heat your home. Plus, a programmable thermostat can be set to adjust temperatures whenever you choose, giving you total control of the exact times and degrees of heating or cooling your living space.
For example, during the day when everyone is at work or school, you don’t have to keep the interior space at a comfortable temperature. Depending on the season, you can set it for 5-10 degrees lower or higher, which saves energy that would be wasted heating or cooling a space that isn’t occupied. Those savings alone can equate to between 10 and 30 percent on your energy bill, depending on the time of year. You also can program energy-saving settings for when you’re asleep or on vacation.
Easy Hook-Up
The HVAC industry uses wires that are all color-coded, making do-it-yourself upgrading to a programmable thermostat relatively simple for a DIY-er. Every programmable thermostat should have this color coding located at the connection points inside of the unit.
Using the diagram provided with each programmable unit, simply connect the color-coded wires to the connectors that are labeled with letters, like “G” for green, “Y” for yellow, “R” for red, and so on. This simplicity makes changing to a programmable thermostat an easy project for virtually any DIY-adept person.
With more than 20 years of experience providing heating and cooling in the Gainesville area, Bounds Heating and Air is here to help you. Contact us today with any questions or concerns.
