How it Works

How Do Programmable Thermostats Work?

Maintaining the temperature not only makes sense in the post-covid-19 era, but it has been practiced way before than you think for various purposes. However, a regular thermostat no longer proves to be the most efficient when you have got programmable thermostats. But, in order to get the most benefit out of it, we must see how programmable thermostats work?

It is believed that programmable thermostats help in reducing utility costs and enhancing comfort by automatically adjusting the temperature. To see whether these are valid points or not, you must be able to differentiate between manual thermostats and programmable thermostats. So, without a second more, let’s get directly into the details of it.

What is a programmable thermostat, and how is it different from a manual thermostat?

By thermostats, we all understand that it’s a mechanism that senses the temperature of any physical system. Based on the reading it gets, it takes actions to regulate the desired value. In simpler words, we can say that it measures and controls the temperature within a set boundary.

When we talk about programmable thermostats, it does the same along with some additional features. As the name suggests, it contains predefined settings, and it regulates the temperature automatically based on programmed instructions.

You can leverage the settings throughout the year, and you will never have to adjust the temperature manually. This is the only prominent difference that helps distinguish programmable thermostats from manual ones.

Automatically reduces heating and cooling, it is surely going to enhance the comfort experience. You can set the programmable thermostat to heat or cool at a specific time of the day or at night, and by this, you will save on the energy cost. Depending on your particular need, you can adjust the settings as per your requirements, and then you don’t have to adjust it manually.

Working of programmable thermostats

Using programmable thermostats is preferred as it is more convenient to use and does not require you to manually adjust the room temperature at any time of the day.

An essential component of the HVAC system, a programmable thermostat is responsible for maintaining the desired temperature in closed parameters. Based on the setting you put into, it controls the heat flow and makes sure the ambient temperature is achieved throughout the day.

Maximizing the efficiency requires you to use the thermostat correctly, and for that, you must understand how it works.

For a programmable thermostat to work, the basic component that is required is known as the thermistor. It is responsible for measuring the room temperature using the setting that you have entered into the system. It then utilizes the thermistor microcontroller to display the actual reading on the screen.

To help you understand more clearly, let’s get a brief overview of the thermistor microcontroller.

Thermistor microcontroller

A part of thermostats, it is what shows you the actual reading by converting the electrical resistance into the digits. The programmability allows you to pre-define the temperature setting of your choice and based on that; it will take appropriate actions.

For example, you may want to increase the heat during the night in the winter season and set it to a moderate level during the daytime. Similarly, you can also adjust the time so that it turns on automatically before you are supposed to come home. All in all, you can set it for 24 hours as per your choice of settings.

Moreover, you can divide the space into zones and set the programmable thermostat for each area differently. Just like you want more heat in your bedroom than in your TV lounge, you can do that easily with programmable thermostats.

In the same manner, if you are going for a vacation, you can set the thermostats to keep the temperature that conserves energy the most. In this way, you can save a great amount of money with regard to utility bills while you are having fun.

Conclusion

All in all, specific heating and cooling demands can be met easily if you have been using programmable thermostats. However, in order to maximize the effective use of it, you must understand its working and how the thermistor and sensors work together to display the temperature reading.  Controlling the heating and air-conditioning system, the efficient use of the system will provide you the comfort you have been longing for. After all, an ambient temperature affects your mood and quality of life. So, have you been using the programmable thermostat the right way?