Every degree counts when it comes to comfort—and your power bill. That’s why more Pella, IA, homeowners use smart thermostats to take control of their home comfort. These devices do more than make it easier to control your HVAC—they use advanced temperature scheduling and connectivity to sync with your daily routines.
By using these smart thermostat programming tips from the heating and cooling specialists at Van Haaften Plumbing & Heating, you can stay comfortable year-round while cutting unnecessary energy use. Whether you're looking to cut back on utility bills or enjoy a more responsive home, smart home climate control is a smart solution. In this blog, we’ll break down essential smart thermostat strategies. With this smart thermostat programming guide, you can make your HVAC system work smarter—not harder.
1. Set Schedules Around Your Daily Routine
Use your smart thermostat settings to change the temperature according to your normal routine—cooler when you're away, warmer when you're home and perfectly set for sleeping. By automatically changing adjusting the temperature when no one’s home, these schedules minimize wasteful heating or cooling. Some smart thermostats are designed to learn your habits and adjust the temperature automatically.
Utilizing smart thermostat settings to change temperatures based on your daily activities provides comfort on your terms without wasting power—all while saving money. Plus, it’s convenient: you don’t have to manually update settings.
2. Customize Thermostat Settings for Each Season
One of the cost-saving thermostat tips from the team at Van Haaften Plumbing & Heating is to use your smart thermostat to adjust your home’s temperature for each season. For instance, during winter, experts say one of the best thermostat settings for home energy efficiency is 68 degrees in the day and a little cooler at night. This method can lower heating bills by as much as 10% each year. That’s different from the best cost-saving temperature during warmer months, which is around 78 degrees. By adjusting your thermostat based on the seasons, you reduce unnecessary power usage and still stay comfortable.
3. Utilize Away or Eco Modes When You're Not Home
Smart or programmable thermostat schedules also lets you use special modes—such as Away and Eco—when you're out. Away Mode reduces the temperature while you're out. Eco Mode also adjusts the temperature and is perfect when longer absences, like vacations. These two settings let you save on power when you’re not home to experience the heating or cooling, but still ensure your HVAC system still runs to prevent dangerously high or low temperatures.
4. Control Temperature in Individual Rooms or Areas with Zoning Features
Some homes have unusually hot or cold rooms. A common example is a a second floor that’s often hotter than the main level. Installing an HVAC zoning system breaks the house into zones, allowing you to adjust temperatures in different parts or levels of your home. Smart thermostats make it easy to set and adjust temperatures by zone, so you can always enjoy the perfect temperature.
5. Use Real-Time HVAC Data for Maximum Savings
One of the perks of smart thermostats is they have the capability to sync with connected HVAC systems. More than just controlling your heating and cooling system, the WiFi or Bluetooth connection gives you access to real-time data from the system itself. This means a smart thermostat can monitor performance, alert you to AC or furnace repair and can even alert your local HVAC company when it's time for HVAC maintenance or repair.
This lets get prompt furnace or air conditioning repair as soon as your system starts to malfunction. Without this feature, a failing heating and cooling system could deteriorate further and lose performance before you even notice—until the damage is done and your energy bills increase sharply.
Struggling to Set Your Thermostat? Van Haaften Plumbing & Heating Can Help
Smart thermostats have many benefits for your comfort and home energy efficiency. At Van Haaften Plumbing & Heating, we love supporting homeowners like you get the best results out of smart thermostats and other smart HVAC technology. If want to really increase your comfort, we can pair a smart thermostat with furnace or air conditioning installation—helping you get the maximum benefit your HVAC system. Or, we can demonstrate how a smart thermostat and zoned HVAC system can make your upcoming AC or furnace installation that much more cost-effective. We're also happy to provide you with thermostat efficiency advice and show you what these innovative tools are capable of.
Learning more about smart thermostats starts with a phone call. Set up your appointment with Van Haaften Plumbing & Heating by calling 641-628-3621 today.
