While it’s a rather unassuming gadget on the wall in your living room, it’s an integral part to your entire home’s management. So, before you just put any old thermostat on your wall, here’s a list of how you can choose the best fit for your home and comfort system.
Programmability
You’ll see thermostats listed as “non-programmable” or “programmable”. A programmable thermostat allows you to set the heating/cooling system to turn on or off at certain scheduled times. This is helpful for when the house is empty during the day while you are at work and the kids are at school, as well as cooler temperatures at night to help you sleep.
A seven-day programmable thermostat can have time and temperature settings for each day of the week. Or, there are programmable thermostats for 5-2 and 5-1-1. This means there is one weekday setting, while the 5-2 has one and the 5-1-1 has two separate settings for the weekend when the hours spent in the house can be different.
A non-programmable thermostat does not have settings that can be set for automatic changes. You must manually change the temperature and the on/off functionality of heating or cooling sources.
Which is best? That’s up to you. The big plus for the programmable thermostat is that it is known for being highly energy efficient—after all, you aren’t paying to heat an empty home during the day.
Changeover Type
In terms of thermostats, a changeover type refers to whether it automatically switches from heat to cooling as the air temperature crosses to a certain, set temperature. Manual changeovers must be changed over by hand while auto changeovers will change automatically based on the set temperature.
System Use
There are different thermostats for different air conditioning systems. If you have a heat pump, your system might manage heat pumps while another might not. It’s important that, when looking at thermostats, that you keep in mind the type of system you have and purchase a thermostat that states it can be used with that system, or it will not work properly.
User Interface
There are three different styles of thermostats: dial, digital with buttons or touch screen. The dial is the simpler approach and get more complicated, in terms of functionality and operations, as you move towards the touchscreen. Mister Quik offers both the digital with buttons and the touchscreen options by Trane and Honeywell.
Extra Features
The more updated models such as the touchscreen thermostat have some extra features that you may or may not want to use. Extra options might include:
- Password protection
- Indoor/Outdoor remote sensor
- Humidification control
Voltage
There are two ways for thermostats to be powered, either by line-voltage or low-voltage. To choose the right voltage, you need to look at the current wire you have in your wall: A very thin wire requires a low-voltage thermostat, a heavy wire requires a line-voltage thermostat.
If you’re still confused as to what thermostat is the best fit for your Indianapolis area home and for your heating and cooling system, call the experts at Mister Quik. We’ll help you make the best choice for your home, budget and lifestyle.