Every degree counts when it comes to your comfort—and your home energy bill. That’s why more Kearney, NE, 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 adaptive temperature scheduling and connectivity to match your daily activities.

By using these smart thermostat programming tips from the heating and cooling specialists at Thurston Heating & Air Conditioning, you can maintain your preferred temperature while cutting unnecessary energy use. Whether you're trying to reduce your home's utility bills or enjoy a more responsive home, smart home climate control is the way to go. In this blog, we’ll break down essential smart thermostat strategies. With this smart thermostat programming guide, you can make your HVAC system be more efficient and less wasteful.

1. Set Schedules Around Your Daily Routine

Program your smart thermostat settings to adjust the temperature in your home according to your normal routine—cooler when you're away, warmer when you're home and comfortably adjusted for sleeping. By automatically changing adjusting the temperature when no one’s home, these schedules minimize unnecessary heating or cooling. Some smart thermostats are designed to adapt to your lifestyle and adjust the temperature automatically.

Taking advantage of smart thermostat settings to change temperatures based on your daily routine ensures comfort on your terms without wasting power—all while saving money. Plus, it’s easy: you don’t have to remember to adjust settings.

2. Adjust Temperatures Seasonally

One of the energy-saving thermostat tips from the team at Thurston Heating & Air Conditioning is to use your smart thermostat to change your home’s temperature according to the season. For instance, during winter, experts say the recommended thermostat setting for home energy efficiency is 68 degrees in the day and a bit colder at night. This strategy can lower heating bills by as much as 10% each year. That’s different from the ideal cost-saving temperature for summer, which is about 78 degrees. By modifying your temperature settings based on the seasons, you use less energy and still stay comfortable.

3. Utilize Away or Eco Modes When You're Gone

Smart or programmable thermostat schedules also gives you access to special modes—such as Away and Eco—when you're away from your home. Away Mode lowers the temperature while you're gone. Eco Mode also reduces the temperature and is perfect when longer absences, like vacations. These two settings help you conserve energy 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. Take Advantage Zoning Features

Some homes have extremely hot or cold rooms. A typical example is a second floor that’s often hotter than the ground level. Installing an HVAC zoning system divides the home into sections, allowing you to individually manage temperatures in different parts or levels of your home. Smart thermostats allow you to set and adjust temperatures by zone, so you can always stay comfortable.

5. Use Real-Time HVAC Data for Maximum Savings

One of the benefits of smart thermostats is they have the capability to work with connected HVAC systems. More than simply controlling your heating and cooling system, the WiFi or Bluetooth connection allows your smart thermostat to gather real-time data from the system itself. This means your smart thermostat can track how well the system is running, alert you to AC or furnace repair and can even automatically contact your local HVAC company when it's time for HVAC maintenance or repair.

This helps get prompt furnace or air conditioning repair as soon as your system requires it. Without this feature, a failing heating and cooling system could suffer more damage and lose efficiency before you even notice—until the damage is done and your energy bills spike.

Need Help Programming Your Thermostat? Thurston Heating & Air Conditioning Is Here For You

Smart thermostats have many perks for your comfort and budget. At Thurston Heating & Air Conditioning, we love helping homeowners like you get the best results out of smart thermostats and other smart HVAC technology. If you're interested, we can combine a smart thermostat with furnace or air conditioning installation—helping you get the most out of your HVAC system. Or, we can show you 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.

Enjoying more convenient living with smart thermostats begins with a phone call. Set up your appointment with Thurston Heating & Air Conditioning by calling 308-624-3485 today.