When it comes to selecting a thermostat for your HVAC system, there are a variety of options to choose from. Finding the right one can help you save considerably on your heating—and cooling—costs. If you’re already considering upgrading your thermostat, be sure to get in touch with our HVAC professionals, so we can lead you in the right direction and ensure that the installation is done correctly.
You might not realize just how much the poor installation of a thermostat can impact your heating system—which is the last thing you should have to deal with this winter. That’s why we do not recommend doing the installation on your own. In fact, installing your thermostat yourself could actually invalidate the equipment warranty on the device. Any thermostat system can wind up damaging your HVAC system, by sending it the wrong signals, if it’s improperly placed in your home, or otherwise installed shoddily. Our Salt Lake City, UT heating technicians have the knowledge and the skill to make sure this doesn’t happen.
How You Use Your Thermostat Impacts Your HVAC System
The correct installation of your thermostat is important to its effectiveness, as we mentioned above. But how you use your thermostat is just as important. There are a good deal of homeowners who make mistakes when adjusting their thermostat, based on misunderstandings about how the thermostat and their HVAC system communicate.
Of course, you may also have a malfunctioning thermostat—perhaps the wires are damaged and the thermostat isn’t able to send the right signals to your heater. Or maybe you have a digital thermostat that’s miscalibrated somehow. If you’re having an issue with your thermostat, you can contact our team. But in the absence of an obvious problem, we urge you to consider the following!
The average thermostat can be programmed as low as 60°F during the summer and in the winter it can go way higher than the recommended temperature of 68°-72°. But that doesn’t mean you should go beyond those settings. Take your air conditioner for instance—let’s say we have a 80°+ day. Your AC system will struggle to reach anything more than 20 degrees below that, setting your thermostat as low as it will go will cause the system to struggle, and it will never reach your desired temperature.
An important factor for you to remember about your thermostat is that it essentially serves as a type of switch. It controls when your compressor turns on and off, as well as the fans in your HVAC system.
Your Thermostat and Your Heater
The concept we described above—the relationship between your thermostat and your air conditioner—applies to your heater as well. Setting the thermostat too high during the colder months, particularly if you’re not even home while it’s on, causes your heating system to work harder than it should have to. Your heater will keep trying to reach your desired temperature, even if it’s unrealistic (like if you’re trying to aim for 78° on a 40° day).
One of the best ways to improve your heating efficiency is by upgrading to a programmable thermostat, so you can have it set lower during the day when you’re not home, and turn it up at night when you arrive home.
Contact us today and learn why our customers say, “I Love My Design Comfort!”
