ASI's Household Thermostat Wars
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Do Programmable Thermostats Really Save Money?
The short answer is that they can save you money but only if you do not have an active space temperature war going on in your home.It turns out that if you are living in the majority of the many households in America that are in a constant battle for control of the home's temperature, what I like to call the thermostat wars,. then more than likely you are not saving any energy by installing a programmable thermostat
Many of us are guilty, most households have a significant other that is always colder or hotter than the other and the subsequent battle for supremacy of the indoor environment invariably leads top increased energy costs no matter how you slice it.
In theory most homes spend on an average of 42% of their consumed energy on heating or cooling the home, much of the waste comes from poor construction and insulation as well as conditioning unoccupied spaces, when you consider how often spaces are unoccupied even while you are at home asleep it is easy to understand this.
While there are still those that believe the old adage that it costs more to turn off a light bulb than to simply leave it on... a similar belief that having to reheat or cool down the home after setting it cooler during the night or warmer during the day when no one is home costs more than just leaving it at the same temperature all the time. Much like the light bulb it is a proven fact that this is not the case.
On average you can expect to save 1% off your energy usage for every 1º Degree Fahrenheit that you raise or lower that thermostat in an eight hour period. So if you set it 5º Degrees Fahrenheit lower at night you will save about 5% off your energy usage in any eight hour period. Granted other factors come into play and the energy savings are dependent upon not only the equipment and the home's construction but also the temperature difference from outside to inside.
If the thermostat is programmed to your desired temperatures for when you are home and is used as it is intended by setting the temperatures lower and higher when you are not at home or are asleep the energy savings are there, on average 6.8% in annual energy savings just for using the programmable thermostat as it was intended.
But you must leave the thermostat alone, do not adjust it, do not bump it up because you have the chills or set it down because you feel overheated. Stick with your temperature settings and sign a truce to the thermostat wars in your home.
Ultimately energy savings in any home is really directly proportional to the desire to save energy, in other words if you want to save energy for whatever reason, then you will. But if you do not care about saving energy or reducing carbon emissions... more than likely you will use more energy.
Remember however that the 1% energy savings for every 1º Degree holds true both when you are home and when you are not, setting the heat to 68º during the winter will save you 4% over setting it at 72º in the winter and setting it at 76º for cooling will save 4% over setting it at 72º in the summer. When you are asleep setting the thermostat to say 64º saves another 4% over that 68º. By doing this and sticking to it the savings can add up. Just avoid the temptation to tweaking it.
ASI's HVAC and Home Improvement Articles HVAC Contractor Air Conditioning Refrigerant Rip Off One of the more common things we see are air conditioning systems that have been overcharged with refrigerant. This common rip off is usually done when you call for a simple maintenance service and they... HVAC Heating Air Conditioning Capacitor Rip Off Another common practice by dishonest contractors is to replace a simple small part that many times is not necessary. The capacitor is one of those parts that is relatively inexpensive... The Geo-Thermal System Explained in a Nut Shell Geothermal is by far the highest efficiency heating and cooling system available today. While the systems require up to three times more investment upfront than a conventional heating and cooling system... Ameri-Serv, Inc. Heating and Cooling News Ameri-Serv Inc Helping the Treasure Valley Community Ameri-Serv, Inc. Heating and Cooling has successfully helped dozens of Treasure Valley Families with thousands of dollars worth of free maintenance services and repairs through this holiday... |
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ASI's Cooling Related Articles
  What
should I Look for Before I call for services on my air conditioning
system? The number one issue we find on air conditioning systems is
clogged filters. First look to see if your air filter is clean and not
clogged up, if it is clogged change the air filter and try your system
again but keep in mind with the air conditioning system running with a
clogged air filter you could have also iced up your indoor coil due to
low air flow.
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  Why
does my Air Conditioning run all day in hot weather? Assuming this is
not a new symptom... this is a common complaint and can be attributed to
two possible things. The first is that your system may have been
designed correctly to meet the latest energy codes to perform at the
highest efficiency. The other possibility is that it was not designed at
all or was not sized properly in the first place. |
  Things you can do to maintain your air conditioning system. You can keep the outdoor air conditioner clean. You can
vacuum out the inside of the unit and get all those leaves and stuff
out. On most units you can gain access through the service panel. Be
sure the power is off before opening the panel. Be careful not to knock
off any wires and do not hit the coil as you will cause permanent
damage.
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  In
the case of the thermostat calling for cooling the thermostat switches
on the power from the “R” or in some cases the “RC” terminal which is
the 24 volt power source to the “Y” terminal on the thermostat which is
in essence the call for cooling. These terminals are located on the back
or on the wall mounted face plate of the thermostat. All the wires
connected to the thermostat will usually always go directly to the
furnace and another set of wires will then go out to the outdoor air... |
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Copyright 2011. ASI Heating and Cooling a Division of Ameri-Serv, Inc. All rights reserved