Thermostats/Humidifiers

Thermostat Buying Guide

The main purpose of your thermostat is to keep the indoor environment comfortable by turning on your heating or cooling, depending on the indoor and outdoor temperature. It’s really nothing more than a heat-activated switch, with a temperature sensor that causes the switch to turn on or off a low voltage electrical circuit that runs the house’s heating or cooling system.

Depending on the type of heating or cooling system you have in your home, the thermostat could also control the system fan, which circulates air through the home ductwork during heating and cooling. Some thermostats can even control a whole house humidifier, dehumidifier, or ventilation system.

Thermostat System Compatibility

The first thing you should consider when shopping for thermostats is system compatibility.
Not all thermostats work with all heating & cooling systems.

NOTE: If you have electric baseboard heat, or if you think you may use a high voltage thermostat – consult an electrician first. The voltages in these systems can be VERY dangerous and if you have a system like this, you should contact a professional for thermostat replacement.

Most homeowners use a standard, low voltage thermostat. The simplest way to identify the system type and power requirements for your new thermostat is to physically remove the faceplate on your existing thermostat, and identify which terminals are currently in use and what wires terminate on the current thermostat.

•Conventional, Single Stage Wiring
•Heat Pump and Multistage Wiring

Understanding Thermostat Features

Programmable
• A 7-Day Programmable thermostat has a different program option for every day of the week. This flexible thermostat is best for people who have varying schedules and are also concerned about saving money on energy bills.
• The 5+1+1 program style contains three separate programs. This program style is best suited to people who have the same schedule 5 days in a row (Mon-Fri), and then have different schedules for Saturday and Sunday.
• The 5+2 program style contains two separate programs. This program style is best suited to people who work Monday through Friday, but are home Saturday and Sunday.
• The 24 hour program contains only 1 program and is exactly the same every day.

Hold Features on Programmable Thermostats

A programmable thermostat will automatically control heating and cooling to different setpoints, usually four different times during the day. In some instances it is desirable to override the preset program, and have the thermostat hold a setpoint for an extended period of time. Let’s say you are home sick from work – and you don’t want the thermostat to “set back” or let’s say you leave on vacation and you want the thermostat to set back for 3 days, or 2 weeks. Most programmable thermostats will have some sort of hold functionality. There are a few different “flavors” of the hold feature that we will define.

All of these different types of programmable thermostats have override or hold buttons to allow you to change the temperature up or down just by pushing a button.

Programmable Fan / Circulation Fan

A standard thermostat will turn on the circulation fan whenever there is a call for heating or cooling. The fan is necessary to bring the air from the living space into your return ductwork to be heated or cooled. Is then takes the conditioned air and distributes is through the home.

There is also typically another fan position on most thermostats which is “ON”, and the fan runs 100% of the time whether or not heating or cooling is occurring. Some thermostats have a new feature known as a “programmable” or “circulation” fan mode will cycle the system fan randomly even when there is no call for heating or cooling. With this fan mode in place – you do not have run the fan all the time and the system is able to pull more air through your filter, and markedly improves the temperature control, humidity and filtration system in a house. It allows for an “averaging” of air temperature throughout the house and eliminates stagnant and uncomfortable air that a thermostat can’t detect.

We would be happy to discuss any questions you have about programmable thermostats and the benefits of installing one in your home. Please feel free to give us a call or to ask about your options during an estimate.

Whole House Humidifiers

Protect your family and your home from the unhealthy
and damaging effects of over-dry air. Dry nose, cracked, itchy skin, and sore throats. Aggravated allergy and asthma symptoms. Painful static shocks. Chipping paint and plaster. Splitting or cracked wood floors, furniture, trim and molding. Sound familiar? Why go through another season with these problems when there is a solution— an Aprilaire Whole-Home Humidifier.

Turning your temperature up in the wintertime will keep you warm but won’t increase your home’s humidity level. Daily activities such as showering, cooking and doing laundry don’t produce enough moisture to keep your home’s air from being too dry. According to medical experts, many viruses thrive in low humidity increasing the likelihood of catching colds, flu and upper respiratory ailments. The American Society of Otolaryngology even reports that it is important to prevent an overly dry environment because it makes people more susceptible to infection.

A Whole-Home Humidifier from Aprilaire, installed by your heating and cooling professional, will deliver the perfect amount of moisture to your air making you feel more comfortable at lower thermostat settings. In fact, the EPA states that you can save up to 4% on your heating bill for every degree you lower your thermostat! Increase your family’s level of comfort and protect your valuable furnishings by adding just the right amount of moisture with an Aprilaire Whole-House Humidifier.

“If too dry an environment is your problem, consider a humidifier. Clues like awakening with a sore throat, dryness in your nose, or even a nose bleed are signs of too little humidity.”

How It Works

An Aprilaire Whole-House Humidifier is installed directly to your central new or existing heating and cooling system. Humidity is introduced into your home’s air in the form of water vapor, which prevents minerals from entering the air in your home and potentially into your lungs. Water is supplied to the distribution tray, allowing it to flow evenly across the Aprilaire Water Panel®. The resulting humidified air is then distributed via your heating and cooling system ductwork throughout your home.

Why Aprilaire Whole-Home Humidifiers?

Aprilaire Whole-House Humidifiers were introduced in 1954 as the first evaporative, flow-through design humidifiers. That’s right—we invented the very first, truly effective, whole-home humidifier. Since then, Aprilaire Humidifiers have been imitated—but never duplicated—and continue to lead the way in whole-house humidification systems. And only Aprilaire offers fully Automatic Digital Humidifier Control to monitor outdoor temperature and indoor humidity levels while providing convenient troubleshooting and maintenance reminders.

Whole-Home Humidification vs. Portable

Too much humidity can be as much of a problem as too little humidity. Unlike portable units the Aprilaire Whole-Home Humidifier continually monitors relative humidity levels in your home, then works to deliver the right amount of moisture (click here to view an Optimum Relative Humidity Chart) —never too much or too little— to your entire house. Aprilaire Humidifiers don’t require the daily cleaning and disinfecting that many portable units require and you never need to worry about the risk of microbial organism growth due to standing water.

“Humidifiers are commonly used in homes to relieve the physical discomforts of dry nose, throat, lips, and skin. The moisture they add to dry air also helps alleviate common nuisances brought on by winter heating, such as static electricity, splitting woodwork, and cracks in paint and furniture.”