One of the most important parts of a home's comfort system is its main control—the thermostat. The thermostat tells the home’s furnace and/or cooling system when to turn on and off as temperatures in the house or individual rooms fluctuate up and down.
Essentially a heat-activated switch, a thermostat has a temperature sensor that causes the switch to open or close as the room warms or cools, completing or interrupting an electrical circuit that activates the furnace, heater, or cooling unit. Most residential thermostat models do this with a low-voltage circuit.
If your home has an older, non-programmable thermostat, consider replacing it with a fully programmable one (sometimes called a set-back thermostat). This is an essential tool for saving energy because you can use it to eliminate periods when the furnace or air conditioning unit may run unnecessarily. As its name implies, this type of thermostat can be programmed to maintain different temperatures during the day, in the evening, when you’re sleeping, and when you’re away at work.
For more about buying and installing thermostats, please see the articles listed below.
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Buying Guides & Reports
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Repair & Care
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How It Works
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