Why you need to upgrade your home thermostat 

It’s important to upgrade your home thermostat as it can make your cooling and heating more efficient. At the same time, it’s one of the most important tools for improving your home comfort and reducing your electricity bills. 

That’s right! According to recent statistics from the RECS (Residential Energy Consumption Survey), more than 55% of residential energy consumption is used for air conditioning and space heating. For that reason, it’s essential to look for ways that will help you lower electricity bills and boost the energy efficiency in your home. 

One such technique is upgrading your climate control system, especially changing the thermostat every 10 – 20 years. In this article, I’ll show you some of the benefits you will get from doing that and the best time to upgrade your home thermostat. 

But first, let me take you through the basics of a home thermostat! 

What is a thermostat? 

A thermostat is an automatic device that regulates temperature by controlling the supply of electricity or gas to a heating system. More importantly, there are various types of thermostats. They include; 

• Manual thermostats 

A manual/ analog thermostat is manually adjusted and is the most basic kind of thermostat. Although they’re highly durable, manual thermostats usually have a lower upfront since they’re less advanced.

As a result, they’re often replaced by more advanced and energy-efficient models. Also, they do not provide the same temperature accuracy as modern thermostats, making you use more energy than you need. 

• Programmable thermostats 

Programmable thermostats make it much easier to manage and adjust your home temperature since they’re more advanced than manual thermostats. For instance, they allow you to set the desired indoor temperature in your home automatically. As their name suggests, you can program them to adjust to various components of your schedule. 

On the downside, programmable thermostats tend to have a higher upfront cost compared to their manual counterparts. Other than that, they offer several benefits like better temperature accuracy, more advanced technology, and so on. 

• Smart thermostats

A smart thermostat is the most advanced and energy-efficient of all types of thermostats. Besides, you can easily program them based on your temperature preference and schedule, just like programmable thermostats. Even better, these devices are Wi-Fi-enabled, thus allowing you to adjust your home temperature through your smartphone or tablet. 

As if that’s not enough, smart thermostats have other incredible features like notifying you to change the air filter and providing energy reports. Moreover, recent smart thermostats are compatible with home systems such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home. So, if you’re a fan of technology and convenience, but you already have a programmable or manual thermostat in your home, consider upgrading to a smart thermostat! 

Why you should upgrade your Home Thermostat! 

Whether you’re currently using an old programmable or manual thermostat in your home, there are several benefits of upgrading to a modern programmable or smart one. Some of these benefits are; 

• Reduced energy bills 

Over time, thermostats start to function with reduced accuracy and efficiency due to wear and tear. This causes them to consume more energy for heating and cooling, leading to increased energy bills. 

Luckily, you can save money on your electricity bills by choosing to upgrade your home thermostat. According to the Energy Department, you should reduce your thermostat by 7 to 10 deg F from its normal settings for 8 hours a day. Doing so can help to reduce your annual energy bills by about 10%.

 In addition, modern thermostats can automatically reduce the energy consumption of your HVAC system when you’re not at home. As a result, your HVAC unit will not work harder than it should, saving you money on energy bills and frequent AC repair bills. 

• Increased energy efficiency 

Upgrading your thermostat will help the entire heating and cooling system run more efficiently. For instance, the thermostat will allow you to cool or heat your home without having to adjust the indoor temperature when you level. Even better, you can access some of these thermostats by phone, giving you total control over your central air system. 

Besides, a programmable or smart thermostat learns the schedule and adjusts the HVAC units accordingly to meet the household needs. This increases the HVAC unit’s energy efficiency since they prevent energy wastage by cooling or heating an empty house. On the same note, this will help to extend your HVAC system’s longevity since it will experience less wear & tear. 

• Improved air quality 

Although smart and programmable thermostats do not directly improve air quality, they can be a factor. As an example, they let you know that the filters need to be changed. Also, some devices have a humidity sensor that helps to maintain the relative humidity at a healthy level. 

Therefore, upgrading your thermostat will play an important role in ensuring your home has a comfortable & healthy environment. So, if you’re still using a manual thermostat, consider upgrading it as part of your home improvement agenda. 

• More accuracy 

Older manual mercury thermostats use a metal arm (heat anticipator) and a needle to determine the temperature of the surrounding air. Honestly speaking, this is accurate enough to maintain your home’s comfort in a range of temperatures. However, smarty and programmable thermostats significantly improve the precision of these manual models. 

In short, upgrading to a programmable/ smart thermostat will help achieve the exact temperature. Besides, programmable models are accurate to 0.5 degrees, while their manual counterparts have a margin of error of up to 5 degrees. So, if you want to know the accurate indoor temperature in your home, it’s about time you upgrade to a smart/ programmable thermostat! 

• Usability 

One drawback of older programmable thermostats is that they were a bit difficult to program and use. However, modern programmable and smart thermostats come with an intuitive interface design and other user-friendly features. For instance, they have touch screen controls, digital read-outs, phone compatibility, LED displays, etc. 

Moreover, they have easy-to-understand directions, allowing you to set your home temperature with ease. Best of all, they allow you to select specific times, days, and other options like weekends, evenings, and weekdays. Besides, with some of these devices, you can easily make changes to your home temperature directly from your phone from anywhere in the world. 

Final Words 

If you want to save money on your energy bills while maximizing your home’s comfort, you should definitely consider upgrading your home thermostat with a modern smart, or programmable model. Fortunately, there are many options available in the market, so it’s up to you to choose the best smart or programmable thermostat that will meet your needs!