A thermostat is a necessary part of any home heating or air conditioning system. It allows you to turn your system on and off and adjust the temperature.
Some thermostats are better for energy efficiency and convenience while others are more simple.
In this article we'll talk about the types of thermostat in cooling system or heating system units you can have for your home. We'll also discuss which might be best for you.
More Reading: A Beginner's Guide To Reading A Thermostat
The High Level: Different Types Of Thermostats
At a high level there are two kinds of thermostats on the market, low voltage and high voltage.
Low voltage thermostats tend to be more efficient for controlling your AC unit. These are typically found in HVAC systems that are powered with gas, water, or electricity.
Low voltage thermostats operate somewhere between 24 volts to 50 volts. Line voltage thermostats.
Line voltage thermostats are used on radiator systems or baseboards. These typically talk directly to the air conditioning unit.
Types Of Wall Mounted Thermostats
More common kinds of thermostats today are wall mounted. It's important to understand there are two types of wall mounted thermostats that you can use:
1. Mechanical Thermostats
These are the more traditional thermostats that a lot of you probably had in your home growing up. They're cheaper, relatively easy to install, and involve a physical dial that you move.
One of the potential downsides of mechanical thermostats is they detect temperature via metallic strips or vapor filled bellows. Thermostats that use bi-metallic strips are particularly unreliable because it takes a long time to read the current room temperature.
Therefore, it could take a while for your home to start cooling off on a hot summer day for instance.
2. Electric Thermostats
Electric thermostats are electronically powered and come with a lot of benefits.
They're typically programmable. This means that you can tell it what kind of energy usage you want to have and it will set the temperature to that time.
Benefits Of Programmable Thermostats
Homeowners typically benefit from programmed thermostats or “smart” thermostats because of these reasons:
Save Money On Heating Bills
The thermostat will only adjust your heating and cooling to the level that you tell it, meaning you can control your monthly bills.
Daytime Versus Nighttime Temperatures
You want to be able to heat up the home during winter nights and cool down the home more during summer days. Therefore, throughout the year, being able to adjust nighttime versus daytime settings is a huge benefit of smart thermostats.
Additional Options For Smart Thermostats Include:
- Individual day programming - Set the temperature of each day of the week individually.
- Automation - Save time by setting the temperature once and never thinking about it again. The thermostat will adjust every day based on your settings.
Additional Utility Benefits Of Smart Thermostats:
Smart thermostats offer a variety of features that make them easier to use, such as:
- Touch screen (easier use)
- Lighted display panel (this way you can see in low light times of the day)
- Light indications (will tell you when you need to change a filter or replace your battery).
- Energy backup (If your power goes out, certain smart thermostats will remember your settings so you don't have to program it all over again).
Wi-Fi Enabled Thermostats
The smartest type of thermostat is one that can connect to other devices or even the internet. This allows you to control the thermostat from your laptop or your phone, even if you're in an entirely different state.
For instance, if you forgot to turn off your thermostat or change your settings before leaving on a vacation, you can simply log into an app and change it remotely.
This is great for keeping your energy expenses in check and keeping your home at a safe, comfortable temperature.
Furthermore, if you know you're coming back from a long trip away from home, you can heat your home in advance. Adjust the settings a few hours before you arrive to make sure the home is at the exact temperature you want it.
Safety Features
Perhaps the most incredible part of smart thermostats are their ability to protect you and your loved ones.
You can enjoy keypad lock for instance. This keeps kids and other people from changing the settings. Encryption codes can be used to unlock the thermostat.
Auto temperature sensors sense if your home gets too cold or too hot depending on your settings. It will adjust the temperature accordingly for safety and comfort.
Understand All The Different Thermostats Today
Different kinds of thermostats come with pros and cons. Contact your local expert that specializes in HVAC in Atlanta GA today. That way, you can see what kind of thermostats are available in your home. From there, you can upgrade to something that provides better temperatures, time savings, and even cost savings.