Even though thermostats are relatively simple appliances, they have two significant effects on our daily lives. They are responsible for our daily comfort in the house, and their decisions significantly impact our monthly utility bills. Understanding the many room thermostat options is crucial for getting the most out of your home comfort system while keeping costs down.
This article will help you choose the best thermostat for your home by explaining the various models available, their features, and how to operate them. Knowing what you’re buying and what will work best for your scenario is crucial, as these devices exist in nearly every home and control the efficiency of your heater.
What Is A Thermostat?
A thermostat is derived from the Greek words thermos and status. Therefore, a thermostat is a tool for keeping a room at a steady temperature. With the help of a room thermostat, you may automatically activate or deactivate your home’s heating and cooling system. It detects the ambient temperature and decides whether or not to activate the heating and cooling system to keep the space at the preset level.
How Does A Room Thermostat Work?
A mechanical thermostat operates differently from a digital one.
To regulate the temperature of an HVAC system, a mechanical thermostat uses a bi-metal coil or strip and a movable metal piece to break the circuit. When the temperature rises over your preferred level, the metal strip expands; when it falls below, it contracts. The metal strip’s temperature sensitivity allows it to either complete or break the circuit.
No metal strip needs to be moved in a digital thermostat since it incorporates sensors that read the ambient temperature and adjust the electrical resistance accordingly. Once a predetermined amount of resistance is encountered, the thermostat will send a signal to the HVAC system to turn off the electricity.
There Are Two Primary Varieties Of Thermostats
Temperature controls, or thermostats, come in two varieties, distinguished by the voltage required for operation.
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Line Voltage Thermostat
A line voltage thermostat means your electrical equipment is ready to be plugged in and used immediately. Most home appliances may be operated with either 120 or 240 volts of electricity. This room thermostat is also referred to as a high voltage thermostat due to its requirement for a large amount of electricity.
There are two further varieties of high voltage thermostats: single-pole (requiring only two wires) and double-pole (requiring four wires). Thermostats that use two wires from the line power can only be adjusted to their lowest level, while those that use four wires can be turned off completely.
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Low-Voltage Systems
This transformer-powered thermostat may operate on line voltage as low as 12 to 24 volts. Whether it’s a furnace, baseboard heater, boiler, air conditioning, radiant heat, or heat pump, this direct wired heater and AC control can handle anything.
Many low-voltage thermostats have a built-in battery that the wall outlet can recharge. The term for this is “power-stealing.”
Types Of Thermostats And Their Features
A wide variety of room thermostats are available, so taking the time to find the one that best suits your needs is essential. Let’s have a look at some of the characteristics they offer so you can pick the best one.
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Programmable Thermostats
Thermostats that can be programmed allow for temperature control at predetermined intervals. When you have this feature, you can save energy by not keeping your home at a comfortable temperature when you aren’t there.
These days, you can choose from a wide variety of programmable thermostat types. Simpler models can be adjusted to different temperatures during the day and night, while more advanced models can be set to different temperatures on different days of the week and at different times of the day.
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Mechanical Thermostats
There are trade-offs associated with using a mechanical thermostat, despite being the most affordable and straightforward to install. The main problem is that they react to changes in temperature by using vapor-filled bellows or bi-metallic strips, both of which are inefficient.
Bi-metallic strip thermometers are particularly suspect because of their lagged reaction to temperature changes. This means that the thermostat setting may not accurately reflect the temperature inside the home.
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Electronic Thermostats
Electronic temperature sensing in these thermostats makes them far more accurate and quick to react than their mechanical counterparts. Both line-voltage and low-voltage electronic thermostats are commercially available. You might also look for ones that have an automatic setback function or one that can be programmed.
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Communicating Thermostat
Instead of running extensive wires to connect to your HVAC system, as is necessary with a non-communicative thermostat, a communicating thermostat may do so wirelessly.
With a communicative thermostat, the various components of your HVAC system interact with one another in a Bluetooth-like fashion, allowing the thermostat to exchange data with them. The two devices are able to communicate with one another and affect the necessary adjustments thanks to these signals.
This thermostat style is incompatible with any heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that does not employ a communicative design, which can add another $500 to your initial investment. On the plus side, you’ll end up saving quite a bit of cash in the long term. Electrical expenditures are reduced by communicating thermostats because the various parts are able to share information about their functionality and turn on and off as needed.
There is a higher expense to repair a communicating thermostat, and it is more difficult to install.
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Outlet Thermostat
In buildings without a central air conditioning and heating system, this sort of thermostat is the most convenient way to control the temperature of individual rooms or the entire building.
These thermostats are a favorite of those who don’t want to spend a lot of time installing their heating and cooling systems. Plug it in, choose the temperature you want, and the heater or air conditioner will turn on and off automatically to keep the room at that temperature.
Selecting A Suitable Room Thermostat
Finding the correct thermostat for your home requires first knowing the make and model of your HVAC system. The next thing to do is to make sure that your setup is compatible with the commercially available solutions.
The next step is to research the thermostats’ features and evaluate how they measure up to your requirements. The finest option is the one that fits you perfectly. If you have other questions related to a room thermostat, you can contact tado° executives. tado° is the industry standard in smart home climate control, and we have a product for every type of residence.
