THERMOSTATS

Which Thermostat Is Best For Me?

There are two major considerations in choosing a thermostat:

1. Can it save me as much or more money than it costs me in the time that I will own it?

2. Am I comfortable using – and in many cases, programming – this thermostat.

“If your house only has its original builder supplied equipment chances are that parts of the comfort equation are missing. Do you have an automatic humidifier? An electronic air cleaner? Most important – for savings! – do you have a programmable thermostat?”

Let Us Look At #1 First …

If you are buying/living in a dwelling that you intend to stay in for more than a year it makes sense to buy a thermostat which will save you the most money. Thermostats like these are programmable and give you the maximum control over your environment.

“Don’t forget your rental properties! A properly installed and set programmable in a lockable enclosure can often make sure you are in compliance with local rental and tenancy acts while ensuring that you are saving the maximum amount of money on heating and cooling costs.”

Typically, you can recover their cost in one year or, at most in two years. Better, programmable, thermostats save more money (up to 33% of your heating costs, in some circumstances!)

My, Dwelling Is Temporary …

In cases where you own a property for only a few months and intend to sell again, soon a basic mechanical thermostat is cheaper – as long as you are not paying for too many heating days. Our people can tell you which model is the best money saver for any set of circumstances. contact sales

What About The “Builder’s Model” In My New House? Is It OK?

Builders do the best they can to give everyone value for money and they do a very good job. However, there are times they have to make judgements about what will fit into any given price point. This means that sometimes parts of the comfort equation still need to be added to a new house. A key part of the comfort equation and one that can save you a great deal of money is the thermostat. If your thermostat is not a programmable setback unit you may wish to consider an upgrade.

Now, #2 – Which Thermostat?

If you are buying a temporary, mechanical thermostat, the cheapest model will do as you won’t be using it for more than a few months (see answer #1).

Assuming that you are buying a programmable thermostat for a longer term residence there are three considerations:

1. Quality – buy from a major name brand. We only carry top quality brands. The brands we currently carry are: White-Rodgers and Carrier.
2. Convenience – don’t let someone sell you a thermostat that does all kinds of fancy things but you can’t figure it out without an engineering degree! Try out the interface – the way the thermostat is programmed – try to program what you want it to do before you buy it. If an easy interface is really important we recommend the White-Rodgers Model 70.
3. Saving money. Generally, in our opinion, the thermostat that saves the most is best – all other things being equal (such as quality and convenience.) The thermostats that save the most money are units that are fully programmable and allow multiple setback programs for different times of day and dates.