Reduce Your Energy Bills With A Programmable Thermostat

A-1 Ductworks is a Fort McMurray Furnace and Duct Cleaning company. Here is a great energy saving tip that the home owner can implement on their own.

While we want our homes to be warm and comfortable it’s surprising how many of us overlook the question of energy efficiency. But doing so costs us money. And as the prices of gas, electricity and heating oils rise, it’s more important than ever to look at simple but effective ways to trim expenses.

Making our homes energy efficient is a necessity. Let’s assume we already have attic space with premium insulation and good windows to prevent heat escaping. How else can we make heating our homes more cost effective? One very simple step that anyone can take is to install a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats are low cost, but they provide the means to save a considerable amount of money when it comes to reducing energy bills.

The latest Programmable Thermostats make their traditional counterparts look positively prehistoric. Who wants to have to set temperatures manually these days? Programmable thermostats allow you to set a custom-made heating agenda for your home. You can stipulate how warm you want your house to be at different times throughout the day. Once you’ve done so you simply sit back and let the programmable thermostat work it out. Most people opt to have the heat at a slightly lower level overnight, say around 17 or 18 degrees. Having the heat on a lower setting overnight is an effective way to save money while you sleep. Although natural temperatures drop during the dark hours there is no need to burn energy to keep warm. The cooler temperatures are compensated for by warm bed clovers and, for some, having someone to cuddle up to! With a programmable thermostat the heating temperature can be set to automatically go up a few notches in the mornings, making it easier for even the most reluctant of us to get out of bed in the winter! Waking to a warm home makes it easier to face the day. Yes, even Mondays!

Research carried out by Energystar.gov revealed that using a programmable thermostat can cut up to $180 from a householder’s heating bill every year. That’s a significant amount of money and such savings are easily achieved once a programmable thermostat has been fitted.

So, how complicated is installation? It’s not complicated at all. The fitting of a programmable thermostat is a very straightforward procedure. In fact it’s so simple many people opt to carry out the task themselves. Programmable thermostats come complete with helpful installation instructions. If you are fitting your own programmable thermostat the first thing to remember is that the power needs to be switched off from the mains, that means the power to the furnace should be set to off on the breaker panel or fuse box. When removing an existing single setting manual thermostat be sure to keep all the wires accessible. Take the base plate of the new programmable thermostat and run the wires through it prior to attaching it to the wall. The installation instructions will feature a guide about which color wires connect where on the new programmable thermostat. Oh, and don’t forget to fit back-up batteries. That way, even in the event of power failure, your individual heating settings won’t be lost. Once the batteries are fitted and the wires are correctly connected the front plate of the programmable thermostat can be secured to the wall and you’re ready to tailor your home’s heating schedule to suit your needs and your budget.

So how do programmable thermostats work?

Most programmable thermostats work on a cyclic basis. The user can choose appropriate settings for the working week, and separate settings for the weekends. On a daily basis a programmable thermostat allows up to four different temperature settings to be scheduled. Most commonly people like to tie these in with key points of the day. For example most of us like it to be nice and warm when we get up in the morning, but when we’re at work and the house is empty it would be a waste of money to have the heating on. But, we do want to come home to a comfortable warm house when our working day is done, don’t we. With a programmable thermostat the user can make this a reality without having to pay the cost of leaving a heating system running unnecessarily.

What is the best type of programmable thermostat to buy?

While the automatic programming features are the main appeal of programmable thermostats it’s wise to purchase one that includes a manual override and a hold temperature facility. A thermostat with these features will allow you to manually adapt your pre-set program if ever you need to. This is particularly useful if you need to put extra heat on or turn the heat down due to unexpected temperature changes. It’s useful too if your timetable changes and you are going to be home when the automatic schedule was set to be off. A simple click of a button and the programmable thermostat will revert to the agenda you set it.

Is a programmable thermostat compatible with any heating system?

Yes, the latest programmable thermostats are compatible with the majority of heating and air conditioning systems, provided that the existing thermostat has a 2, 3, 4 or 5 wire connection. One of the few exceptions is electric baseboard heating. This form of heating uses very high voltages that render programmable thermostats incompatible. In most cases though, a programmable thermostat is ideal, being inexpensive, easy to install and simple to use. More importantly using one will quickly begin saving users money while keeping their homes luxuriously warm and welcoming.

Try this energy saving tip and call today to book our excellent Duct Cleaning service by A-1 Ductworks, serving the Fort McMurray, Wood Buffalo area since 1965.

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House Cleaning Tips
Vacuum cleaners operate by using a pump system.
The pumping system will suck up the air from a
hose, which will in turn suck up the dirt and
dust from anything that stands in front of the
house opening. On the inside, the vacuum cleaner
is a filtering system that will collect the dust
and dirt that can later be placed outside in the
garbage.

Right now, there are seven main types of vacuum
cleaners - the upright, canister, back pack style,
built in, robotic, hand held, and the wet/dry
vacuum cleaners. These different types of vacuum
cleaners are available in a variety of different
styles, sizes, and offer various voltage and
power sizes as well.

One of the most significant developments in
vacuums has been the invention of the very popular
cyclone carpet cleaner. Unlike the previous
vacuum cleaners, the cyclone collects dirt and
dust in a large cylinder. The cyclone operates
using a central air force and number of filters.
The filter will filter the dust and dirt into
stages, so that the air being sucked up into the
cylinder can be cleaned then released back into
the air through a central outlet.

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Your standard indoor air purifier is only able to remove particles and not gases. There are however industrial level air purifier systems that can effectively capture these gases but they are very expensive.

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Microban is used in air purifiers because it is an Antimicrobial agent used to treat an air purifiers HEPA filter. The protection provided by the Microban product prevents development of mold, bacteria or mildew growth on the filters surface which can cause bad odors. The life expectancy of your filter is not affected by the Microban.

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It is hard to know if an air purifier is working and cleaning your air effectively until you go to swap out your air purifiers filter and see how dirty it has gotten. Even at this point you will not be able to truly know how well your air purifier is working because all of the microscopic particles are too small to see. Some indications showing your air purifier is working are: less dust on your house contents such as on furniture, you’ll notice a ‘cleaner’ smell to your room air (particularly noticeable if you have an air purifier with an ionizer) and you’ll see a decrease in allergens around your home.

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Most air purifiers have an indicator light which comes on when it is time to change the air purifiers filter. These indicator lights are often set to a time period rotation so the filter will be reported as requiring changing regardless of how much dirty air has actually pass through it. Often as an extra qualification and to help you decide weather or not a air purifier filters need changing the manufacturers include a color-coded chart to help you get an idea as to how dirty the filter is.

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An air purifiers HEPA filter only requires replacing once every twelve to eighteen months or so depending on how much you use it. Whereas an air purifiers carbon filter would more likely need replacing over a period of around three to six months again depending on your level of usage. Always read the label/instructions of your air purifier system to get specific details for that particular air purifier.

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HEPA air ionizer purifiers, these are air purifiers that use independently controlled ionizers, providing you with the option to release negative ions in to the surrounding air via the filtered air coming out of the air purifier. You have the choice to turn this function on or off for the HEPA air ionizer purifier. Ions are very small particles carrying a charge, negative or positive. Ions inhabit all of our surroundings naturally, throughout the air, ground and water. The negative and positive Ions are totally harmless, odorless and colourless. In the HEPA air ionizers purification process the negative ions play their part by clinging to tiny airborne particles in the surrounding air.

This causes the tiny particles to become negatively charged which results in them joining other particles that are positively charged which could be pollen, dust, pet dander or smoke. When these particles clump together you end up with larger particles that are going to be more susceptible to being captured by the air ionizer purifiers filter system. These larger particles may also become attracted to objects or surfaces throughout your home that are positively charged, such as floors, walls or lamps. This is likely to be a more frequent occurrence as the purifiers filter nears the end of its life and due to a decrease in effectiveness less of the charged particles are captured by the HEPA air ionizer purifiers filter.

If you use a HEPA air ionizer purifier for a long period you will likely find dust has collected on the front panel and grills. This is because of the ionization effect from the negative ions leaving the air outlet. This displays further proof of the effectiveness negative ions have for cleaning indoor air. To remove dust gathered at these areas simply clean it away with a soft brush or damp cloth.
You may notice when you use a HEPA air ionizer purifier you will experience some popping and cracking sounds occasionally. Do not be alarmed as this is completely normal and is simply a result of dust particles interrupting the flow of ions which generates a low build up of ions that eventually discharge creating that cracking and popping sound. Nothing to worry about.

If your HEPA air ionizer purifier is used with a dirty filter you may experience larger than normal amounts of dirty particles coming out of your HEPA air ionizer purifier and clinging to your home and its contents such as carpets, walls and other furniture. These dirty particles can be extremely hard to get rid of. If your household has more than the usual amounts of dirty particles such as dust, smoke or pet dander your HEPA air ionizer purifier filters life expectancy will be much shorter so you must therefore check the state of your HEPA filters more often and perhaps run the air ionizer less frequent than you usually would.

Remember it is very important that you replace the HEPA filter for you HEPA air ionizer purifier when recommended to do so by your devices instructions.

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Washable foam is a foam layer in the purification cycle that helps remove larger particles and is designed for easy cleaning. To clean the washable foam filter you just take it out of the unit and wash it with warm soapy water, rinse it with clean water and then hang it out to dry. You must make sure it is dry right through before placing it back in the air purifier unit.

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