Basic Versus Advanced Thermostats

Basic thermostats regulate the temperature inside your home by turning your heating and cooling on and off. More advanced thermostats may be designed to modulate BTU output of air conditioning and gas heating system. Some thermostats can modulate air handler and furnace blower speeds to aid in controlling indoor humidity levels.

Advanced thermostats are used to control temperatures, air flow and humidity in different rooms or areas of the home when connected to remote sensors and zone dampers. Heating and cooling thermostats today may be manually programmed to turn on and off and/or change temperature during the course of a day. Other web-connected thermostats can be programmed or even operated in real time from a computer or smart phone. Diagnosing and repairing thermostat issues has become a complicated business. If you’re looking for trained technicians that can diagnose your thermostat problems in Central Texas, just call AirOne Heating and Air Conditioning.

Proper Thermostat Installation

All thermostats must be installed correctly to function properly with different heating and cooling systems. Thermostats should not be located on exterior walls, near heat producing appliances, away from heating or cooling vents or near windows where they may be exposed to the radiant heat of the sun. Air Conditioning and heating thermostats should be located central to the house, away from dead air spaces like corners and close to the return air grills if possible.

More and more heating and cooling thermostats are electrically operated. Thermostats requiring electrical current to operate should be installed to operate off the low voltage supplied by the air conditioning and heating equipment and not just the batteries supplied by the manufacturer.

Thermostat Configuration

Take advantage of the features on your thermostat. Operating your thermostat in the “fan on” position can be expensive during the heat of the summer or the cold of winter due to the common practice in this area of running heating and cooling ducts thru unconditioned attics. In the milder spring and fall, when heating and cooling requirements are low but pollen and allergy concerns are high, operating your thermostat in the “fan on” position may be the best way to keep your home allergy free… if your home has a good whole house air filtration system designed to capture pollen and allergens.

Many newer thermostats have “back end programing” where the thermostat may be configured to operate with a wide variety of different system types … Single speed air conditioners, Dual speed air conditioners, Electric heat, Gas heat, Modulating gas heat, Dual fuel systems, Variable speed ECM fans and more.

An AirOne Heating and Air Conditioning technician can help you navigate this new world of thermostats. Our technicians will ensure proper installation, configuration, and operation of your thermostat whether you’re just replacing your thermostat or replacing your heating and cooling system. For Thermostat Installation & Repair: Call (512) 392-0022