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Install a programmable thermostat for your whole-house heating and cooling system

Last comment by user_3 on 25 May 2009:
Interesting. I know that many people don't end up changing the factory defaults on them as well...
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Description

Install a programmable thermostat for your whole-house heating and cooling system. Programmable thermostats allow you to put your cooling system on an automatic timer to adjust the temperature in the house to a warmer setting when no one is home. Most programmable thermostats permit you to have two modified temperature periods over 24 hours - during the day when most people are out of the house for work and school, and during the night when asleep. During the winter, the house may be kept cooler during these periods and during the summer it may be kept warmer.

Tags

  • heating
  • homeowner
  • hvac
  • once
  • residence
  • upfront
  • year round
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Assumptions We Made

We assume it will automatically changes temperature for 8 hours during day, 8 hours during night. Assumes 6 degree change for heating (e.g., 78 during AM/PM home time, 72 during work hours and nights), northern US climate. Assumes similar 6 degree change for cooling (e.g., 70 during AM/PM home time, 76 during work hours and nights), northern US climate. Calculated using Estar programmable thermostat spreadsheet which accounts for heating degree days. Assumes gas furnace. Assumes central AC unit running on electricity. Does not include set-up for evening as a programmable thermostat does.

Impacts

Initial Impacts

Each time you carry out this action, the immediate impacts are:

  • Costs 60.00 dollars

Ongoing Impacts

Some actions also have additional impact over time. For this action, these are:

  • Saves 138.43 dollars per year
  • Saves 2001.20 kilowatt hours per year
  • Saves 1447.12 lbs of CO2 per year
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