Thermostat 101
Imagine living in the early 19th century. Winter is here and you’ve turned on the heat. There’s only one problem: your home keeps swinging from freezing to sweltering. And every time it goes too far in one direction, you must patter down to the hall to adjust valves, dampers, or the furnace itself.
What a drag! Fortunately, this changed with the invention of the thermostat.
How Thermostats Control Temperature
The basic way thermostats control temperature is by sensing the space temperature and sending a signal to your equipment to make changes until the temperature matches the set point.
How the thermostat does this depends on what it’s connected to.
For furnaces, the thermostat might turn the fan and burner on to increase the temperature and turn it off when the temperature is just right. Air conditioning control works by turning on the fan and unit when the temperature gets too high.
Types of Thermostats
There are three types of thermostats: programmable, non-programmable, and smart.
- Programmable thermostats allow you to save multiple set points for daytime, nighttime, and weekends (depending on the thermostat itself). This allows you to save on energy when you don’t need as much heating or cooling while you’re at work, grocery store, or on vacation. A thermostat set to a lower temperature at night is a common way to save on energy as well, without having to remember to manually turn down the temperature before bed.
- Non-programmable thermostats are the basic manual thermostats you can set and change as needed. They can be dial type where you turn a dial to set the temperature or digital. If you want to lower the setting on a winter’s day while you’re out of the house, you’ll have to make sure you do it manually before you head out the door.
- Smart thermostats give you the benefits of programmable thermostats with added features. Many of them learn your habits and change settings according to your inputs and whether you’re home or not. You can control the temperature in your home from an app, so you save on energy when you’re away but come home to a comfortable temperature.
Making The Right Choice
If you need help choosing the right thermostat, and installing it, give Daffan a call and we’ll help keep your home at just the right temperature day and night, season after season.
