Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Set your thermostat directly
• Method 2 of 2: Program your thermostat
• Tips

A thermostat activates your heater or air conditioner at pre-set times that are determined by temperature changes in your home or office. Energy experts agree that setting your thermostat to adjust to different temperatures when you're at home and away from home helps save money on your utility bill. By programming your thermostat according to your daily schedule, you can save money and help save energy at the same time.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Set your thermostat directly

1. Learn the differences between the settings. If your home has central heating and cooling, then you most likely have a central thermostat to control it. Programmable or not, thermostats have many similar settings, including fan options, heating options and cooling options.
2. Turn on the fan. With the fan options you probably have "on" or "car". By choosing "on", you turn on your system's fan to circulate air around the house without heating or cooling it. The fan will continue to run as long as the "on" option is enabled. The "auto" option only turns the fan on when the heating or air conditioning is turned on and air needs to be recirculated.
   • The fan 'on' option is generally considered an energy waster because it takes a fair amount of energy to constantly move that much air. That is why most people leave the fan alone on "car".
   • Many people simply use the "on" option to purge air out of a home - if, for example, something burned during cooking and you want to circulate enough air to remove the odor.
3. Set the air conditioner. Depending on the thermostat model, you probably have a small switch on the thermostat's front panel or a button to toggle between heating, cooling and off. You can prepare the system to cool the house by sliding the switch or pressing the button until you reach the "cool" position. You will see a number on the thermostat display. This number is the ambient temperature in your home. Use the up and down arrows on the thermostat to set the temperature you want in your home. You will see another display number appear that corresponds to the temperature you have set.
   • you will likely hear a click when the system turns on and turns on the air conditioning to lower the temperature in your home to your set value.
   • The system will run until the house has reached the selected temperature, then it will automatically turn itself off and back on only when the internal thermometer registers that the house is warmer than the set temperature.
   • You can use the same switch or button to turn off the system at any time.
4. Set the heat. Setting the heat for your thermostat is very similar to setting the cooling option. Use the same switch or button to continue until you reach "warm". You can then use the same arrows you use to set the cooling temperature to set the heating temperature. Again, the system will not operate unless the internal thermometer registers that the ambient temperature is colder than the set temperature.
   • You can also have a setting like "EM Heat" or "Emergency Heat" on your thermostat, especially if you live in an area where it is often bitterly cold. This setting is set on a separate electrical heating unit in the house, in case the larger system breaks or freezes during the winter. While it doesn't hurt to test the emergency heat option regularly, stick to the default heat setting for everyday use.

Method 2 of 2: Program your thermostat

1. Read the manual. Although all programmable thermostats have roughly the same functions, they are not universally controlled in the same way. If you have your thermostat manual, keep it handy in case it has a unique set of actions.
2. Determine your daily schedule. Keep track of when you leave the house (or workplace) and are regularly away for at least four hours. Take notes on your schedule for a week, including all 24 hours a day.
3. Program time and date information. The current time and date must be entered into your programmable thermostat for it to function properly. Almost all thermostats have a button with the text "set" or possibly even "day / time". Press this button and a clock will appear on the display allowing you to set the time and date. Use the up and down arrows to set the items and press the same "set" or "day / time" button again after each step to advance to the next setting.
   • The prompts will tell you whether to enter the time as a twelve-hour or a twenty-four-hour number.
   • You may also need to set the day of the week, but this is done in the same way as the time and date.
4. Press the "set" or "program" button. Once you have programmed the date and time, you are ready to program the thermostat schedule. Some brands have a real "program" button, while others have to cycle through the time and date information by pressing the "set" button multiple times. You will come to a screen on the display asking you to set an "alarm time" for weekday mornings. You may want to set the time very short before you wake up so that the system is already running.
   • Most thermostats allow you to set weekdays and weekends separately, while some thermostats allow you to set each day separately.
   • Again, you can use the up and down arrows to scroll through the time.
5. Press "set" or "program" again to set a temperature. With the "alarm" time set, you now need to set the "alarm" temperature. Press the appropriate button on your thermostat model again and the temperature will start flashing. Use the up and down arrows to find the desired temperature.
   • Some models allow you to set a temperature range, so you don't have to reprogram the thermostat every season. For example, you can set a summer and winter temperature. This will cause the system to heat when the ambient temperature is below a certain threshold and cool when it is above another threshold.
6. Set the "off" time and temperature. With the "alarm" time and temperature set, the thermostat will ask you to schedule your departure time for the day during the week. Most people set these temperatures much higher in the summer and much lower in the winter to save energy and make the system work less when no one is home. Use the same process of pressing the "set" or "program" button and the off / on hours to find the desired settings.
   • If you don't want the system to run while you're away, you can set the system to turn on at a temperature you know won't be reached indoors.
7. Set the "return" time and temperature. The next time and temperature setting that the thermostat will ask for is the time you come home during the week. As with the "alarm" setting, you can set the time from fifteen to thirty minutes before you get home, if you want to make sure the house is warm when you enter.
8. Set the "sleep" time and temperature. The fourth and last weekday setting that the thermostat asks for is for when you go to sleep at night. Since many people open the windows during summer nights or pile up extra blankets in winter, you can save money and energy by setting the night temperature higher or lower respectively.
   • Wherever you set this temperature, it will be maintained until the "alarm" time and temperature you set for the next morning.
9. Repeat this process for the weekend. Once you have finished setting the weekly schedule, the thermostat will prompt you to set the same four times for the weekend - wake, leave, return, and sleep. As with the other settings, you must continue to use the "set" or "program" button to move through the menu and continue to use the arrows to adjust the times and temperatures.
10. Press the "run" button to start the system. Depending on your thermostat model, as soon as you press "set" or "program" during the last weekend of "sleep" settings, you may revert to the current day, time and temperature and the schedule will take effect. Other models may have a "run" button that you must press to start the program.

Tips

• Controlling the temperature in the home can yield less savings in milder climates with less variation in temperature.
• To maintain a certain temperature, you can use the up and down arrows to manually override the programmed schedule and then press "hold" to hold that temperature. When you want the system to go back to your schedule, you can simply press "run" to start it.
• You can override any programmed setting by manually setting a temperature using the up and down arrows. The temporary setting is maintained until the thermostat is switched to another mode on the next cycle (wake up, leave, return or sleep).
• If you want to program your thermostat as economically as possible, it is recommended that you only heat your home to 21 ° C in winter and cool to 26 ° C in summer when you are home and awake, and not the system at all to run while you're gone.