How to Program a Digital Thermostat to Slash Utility Bills

How to Program a Digital Thermostat to Slash Utility Bills
By Actor-Activist Ed Begley Jr.

It requires a huge amount of energy to raise or lower the temperature in your home by even a few degrees. That's energy you pay for on your electric, oil, or gas bills. Controlling these costs, and the amount of energy you use, means controlling the temperature both when you’re at home and when you’re away. This is the magic of an energy-saving thermostat.

Most people simply turn their heating and air-conditioning system on and off when they want to be warmer or colder. Some even leave the system on when they leave the house, so that it will be the right temperature when they return.

Maybe you leave the heat running at your preferred temperature all night long — even though you’re sleeping under a blanket or a comforter — because you want the house to be nice and warm when you get up in the morning.

But why spend all that money, and waste all that energy, keeping your house comfortable when you’re not there, or when you can simply add another blanket to your bed at night?

If you have central heating or central air-conditioning or both, you can install and use a programmable thermostat instead of an old “set the temperature and it’s either on or off” thermostat. This way, you can save energy and money and have your house at the right temperature when you get home, when you wake up in the morning, and when you’re asleep.

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