Which Home Thermostat Is Right for You?
There are many thermostats available on the market today. Determining which thermostat to use in your home depends largely on the features you desire versus your budgeted income for its purchase. There are many reliable names in the thermostat industry that have reputations for providing quality products to the public. Each manufacture a wide variety of residential thermostats with various features ranging in price for you to select.
Depending on your schedule, you may first want to decide whether or not you will need a programmable or non-programmable thermostat. It has been my experience that a programmable thermostats gives you the freedom of pre-setting your unit for many days in advance to various settings in the event you are away from your home for an extended period of time. This feature is very useful for those who have demanding work schedules or travel for work a great deal. It allows you to control your temperature settings in your absence to maintain efficiency with your utilities. Programmable thermostats are very affordable and should fit in your budget as most thermostats these days have this feature. A non-programmable unit will also suffice, though you will not have the same option of pre-settings and automated control. However, they are very inexpensive and will save you a great deal of money.
Wireless thermostats are becoming more popular these days. They utilize the power of the internet to provide you with access to your unit’s main control interface via a mobile device such as a laptop or notebook for the purpose of setting your temperature. It depends on internal and external sensors to interpret levels in humidity to alert your system of temperature changes. This feature can also be very helpful if you live in a large home or are running late and don’t have the time to properly adjust your unit. Though useful, it is definitely a luxury feature and will cost you much more to obtain the use of its service. Unless absolutely necessary, I would opt for a non-wireless unit.
Touch screen thermostats are another luxurious feature that may not be entirely necessary, though they give you the potential for deeper menu control and more options for programming your unit. Touch screen units are considerably more expensive, so unless you have a large home that would require the necessity for such a feature, it won’t be of great value for you.
Digital thermostats offer excellent features of great worth. Digital models allow you to be more precise with air control, thus giving you some power over your utility bill. The ability to target a particular setting will aid tremendously in how long your air runs and ultimately how large your bill can be. Digital thermostats are slightly more expensive than a standard, manual model, though the extra money will probably be well spent in the long run.
After briefly examining the options available based on my personal situation, the best route for someone like me would be to obtain a digital, programmable thermostat. It has all the features needed for my small apartment and I would be able to precisely maintain temperature control on the days I worked late. This choice would not be too expensive and would ultimately save me some money in the future. Use the information provided to decide which options are best for you and your pocketbook.