During the winter and the northern Alabama summer, your energy bill for heating and cooling is always at the forefront, especially with energy costs rising in Alabama and the surrounding areas. When it comes to controlling costs, many homeowners turn to tactics such as insulating homes, plugging air leaks, providing shade, and allowing natural light in during the winter.
One thing many people miss is the role of your thermostat in keeping your costs down. This is the device that allows you to toggle your heating and cooling on and off, as well as set the temperature.
How It Works
Obviously, the more your system must run, the higher your energy bill will go. Your thermostat, when working properly, will detect when the temperature of your home starts to drop or rise above the setting you’ve selected. When this happens, the air conditioning or heating will turn on to bring your home’s temperature back to its proper setting.
Extreme weather will cause your system to run more than usual. Your thermostat may also run more at night during cooler weather, and more in the daytime due to hotter temperatures.
One method of cost control is to adjust your thermostat to use less energy, especially during sleep or when your home is empty.
Older Thermostats and Energy Savings
Older thermostats are simple: you set the temperature manually, and your thermostat keeps your home at that temperature.
However, for cost control, they’re too simple. Older thermostats must be set up to use less energy each time you go on vacation, leave your home for work, sleep, or simply want to lower your energy bill. While this is possible to do and does save money, it is easy to forget to reset your thermostat for maximum savings, especially when it needs to be done multiple times per day or week.
Such an approach will also require you to come home to an uncomfortable home after a vacation or after work. You’ll need to set the thermostat as soon as you get home and wait for your home to become comfortable.
As a result, manually adjusting your older thermostat often may not lead to maximum savings.
Malfunctioning Older Thermostats
Besides being tedious to adjust repeatedly, older thermostats are more prone to other issues that can raise your energy bill.
Older thermostats can suffer from loose components, dust, dirt, and reduced sensitivity. With dust and dirt buildup, a thermostat can have trouble reading the temperature of your room properly, making it less effective in keeping your home at the right temperature. Loose components can cause thermostats to run at the wrong times, and sometimes, even displays can go out.
When this happens, it can be very difficult to save money by adjusting your thermostat, as you often cannot change the temperature. Displays that go out can be caused by bad batteries or loose connections.
Enter the New Thermostat
Smart thermostats are far more flexible than their predecessors and allow for greater energy savings. They can be programmed to run less or more during certain hours, taking the tedious guesswork out of energy savings and giving you more control.
Many newer smart thermostats allow remote access via the Internet, so that you can even adjust your home’s temperature and energy savings from work or vacation.
If you are looking for energy savings in Decatur, AL, look no further than a smart thermostat. We’re here to help you choose the right type for you, and if you’re ready to start saving on your energy bill, contact us today to get started.
