A Thinking Thermostat
Your thermostat could be losing you hundreds of dollars a year. But you’re smart. Your thermostat should be, too. With a smart thermostat, you can save without lifting a finger.
Traditional thermostats are of two types: manual and programmable. A manual thermostat can only be set to one temperature at a time and needs to be turned on and off manually. A programmable thermostat allows you to set a temperature schedule for your home.
A smart thermostat is a wholly different beast. It connects both to Wi-Fi and to your devices. You control the temperature of your house when you want from wherever you want. Smart thermostats also “learn” your behavior and automatically adjust a heating/cooling schedule accordingly.
But, doesn’t my thermostat automatically turn off the air once it reaches the set temperature anyways?
While technically true, short cycling to maintain a higher/lower temperature than needed wastes a lot of energy. Smart thermostats do away with short cycling.
Can’t I just get the same benefits with a programmable thermostat?
While also technically true, in the real world it’s not. In fact, experiments find that with programmable thermostats, homeowners actually spend more on their energy bills than necessary due to improperly using them and setting the thermostat schedules poorly.
Which takes us back to smart thermostats -- which are designed to “understand” what we want and then take over with efficient delivery.
Many smart thermostats also come with additional features to, say, monitor the overall health of an HVAC system. This helps to lower maintenance costs (and health issues) due to old/dirty equipment.
Want to give it a go? The Geek Squads walks you through the process of installing your new smart-thermostat.
But if you’re sticking with the thermostat you have, you should learn how to properly set it.
The Department of Energy suggests the following :
For winter, set the temperature to 68 ⁰F when home and awake, and 10 ⁰F lower when asleep or out of the house
For summer, set the temperature to 78 ⁰F when home, and either manually shut it off when you’re out or program it for a warmer temperature.
Other tips: Shut down your heat or AC 30 minutes before leaving home each day and (if your thermostat allows it) kick it back on 30 minutes before returning. Reduce heating/cooling 60 minutes before going to sleep and increase heating/cooling 30 minutes before waking.
Finally, be aware of these three thermostat myths:
1. Setting the temperature on the thermostat super high or super low will heat/cool your house faster.
Nope. It often just costs you more money as you’ll tend to overheat or overcool your home.
2. Changing the thermostat at different times of the day and/or when people are not home will not save you anything significant.
In fact, having a programmed schedule saves you between 10-15% on your yearly energy bill.
3. The location of your thermostat isn’t important.
A thermostat uses the surrounding environment’s temperature to determine whether or not to come on. Thus, keeping it in a neutral location is truly important. Place your thermostat away from drafty areas, direct sunlight, kitchen and doors.
At the end of the day, your thermostat is still not as important as your habits. It just helps your habits reside in more eco- and wallet-friendly zones. You’re the one who will finally make all the difference.
Learn more ways to save on power with LADWP.
Learn more about the assumptions behind Magenta House water and power savings calculations.
DETAILS
Upgrade: Smart thermostat
Goal: Install a smart thermostat or re-program current one.
Potential Savings*: 1,500 KWH (kilowatt hours)/yr, $180 /yr.
Skill level: ★★☆
Bonus: After getting your smart thermostat installed, sign up for the PowerSavers program to get FREE amazon gift cards.
SAVINGS*
The average home savings calculation is based on the usage needs of a family of four and includes the following assumptions:
your old thermostat was not programmed properly, and
the cost for a smart thermostat, including installation and set-up, is $300-$500.
Based on these assumptions, yearly energy savings amount to 1,500 KWH per home, or $180.
