Even slight temperature changes make a difference when it comes to comfort—and your home energy bill. That’s why more Columbia, MS, homeowners use smart thermostats to take control of their home comfort. These devices offer more than just convenience—they use adaptive temperature scheduling and connectivity to sync with your daily activities.

By using these smart thermostat programming tips from the experts at Watts Electric & AC, you can maintain your preferred temperature while reducing unnecessary energy use. Whether you're hoping to save on utility bills or enjoy a more efficient home, smart home climate control is a smart solution. In this blog, we’ll walk you through simple 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 everyday routine—cooler when you're away, warmer when you're home and just right for sleeping. By automatically shifting the temperature when no one’s home, these schedules cut down on wasteful heating or cooling. Some smart thermostats can recognize your patterns 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 energy—all while saving money. Plus, it’s easy: you don’t have to manually update settings.

2. Customize Thermostat Settings for Each Season

One of the efficiency-boosting thermostat tips from the team at Watts Electric & AC is to use your smart thermostat to change your home’s temperature based on the time of year. For example, during winter, experts say the ideal temperature for home energy efficiency is 68 degrees in the day and a bit colder at night. This method can lower heating bills by as much as 10% each year. That’s different from the suggested cost-saving temperature for summer, which is around 78 degrees. By modifying your temperature settings based on the seasons, you use less energy and still enjoy a pleasant home.

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

Smart or programmable thermostat schedules also lets you use special modes—such as Away and Eco—when you're away from your home. Away Mode reduces the temperature while you're out. Eco Mode also lowers the temperature and is perfect when when you'll be gone several days, like vacations. These two settings let you save on power when you’re not home to enjoy the heating or cooling, but still ensure your HVAC system still runs to prevent dangerously high or low temperatures.

4. Control Temperature in Individual Rooms or Areas with Zoning Features

Some homes have stubbornly hot or cold rooms. For example, many homes have a second floor that’s always hotter than the ground level. Installing an HVAC zoning system breaks the house into zones, allowing you to adjust temperatures in different parts or levels of your home. Smart thermostats make it easy to set and adjust temperatures by zone, so you can always stay comfortable.

5. Monitor and Fine-Tune for Maximum Savings

One of the benefits of smart thermostats is their capability to sync with connected HVAC systems. More than simply controlling your HVAC system, the WiFi or Bluetooth connection gives you access to real-time data from the system itself. This means a home smart thermostat can track how well the system is running, tell you when you need AC or furnace repair and can even send a notification to your local HVAC company when it's time for HVAC maintenance or repair.

This lets get prompt furnace or air conditioning repair as soon as your system needs it. Without this feature, a failing heating and cooling system could deteriorate further and lose performance before you even notice—until the damage is done and your energy bills skyrocket.

Having Problems Figuring Out Your Thermostat? Watts Electric & AC Is Here For You

Smart thermostats have many advantages for your comfort and the energy efficiency of your home. At Watts Electric & AC, we love assisting homeowners like you get the best results out of smart thermostats and other smart HVAC technology. If you'd like, we can include a smart thermostat with furnace or air conditioning installation—helping you enjoy the most possible comfort from 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 energy efficient. We're also happy to give you thermostat efficiency advice and demonstrate what these innovative tools are capable of.

The path to lowering your home heating bills with smart thermostats begins with a phone call. Set up your appointment with Watts Electric & AC by calling 601-736-7362 today.