Like many people, you may think the niftiest invention of the 21st century is the cell phone.

But the U.S. Department of Energy would make a strong case for programmable thermostats. The problem is, many homeowners are reluctant to install them because they are uncertain about how the thermostats work.

If you're among this group, allow First Quality Roofing & Insulation to give you a crash course on programmable thermostats. Paired with Las Vegas home insulation, a programmable thermostat could shave 30 percent or more from your annual energy bills – sending these energy savers to the top of any invention list. 

Programmable thermostats “lock in” energy savings

Programmable thermostats were designed on the premise of setting your air conditioner or furnace to run when people are either home or awake to enjoy them to the fullest. Put another way, why pay for conditioned air when you don't have to?

Apparently, many people are thriftier than the department of energy team may have thought; they raise the temperature by several degrees before leaving home for the day in the summer and lower it in the winter. When they return home at the end of the day, they adjust the thermostat again.

In doing so, they are probably saving some money on their utility bills. But they are failing to collect on the full energy savings that programmable thermostats are designed to deliver: when you adjust a thermostat by between 7 and 10 degrees for at least 8 hours at a time – during the day or overnight – you can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling costs. A programmable thermostat locks in the savings because you literally lock in the temperatures first.

Four types of thermostats allow freedom of choice

There are four types of programmable thermostats that will deliver these savings, or those with:

• 7-day programming, or a thermostat that allows you to set a different cooling or heating schedule for each day of the week

• 5-2 programming, or a thermostat with a schedule for weekdays and a separate schedule for the weekend

• 5-1-1 programming, or a thermostat with a schedule for weekdays and a separate schedule for Saturday and Sunday

• 1-week programming, or a thermostat with a schedule for an entire week

Follow a simple schedule to unlock savings

Since the key to saving money with a programmable thermostat depends on the duration of the “setback” temperature, a summer schedule might look like this:

• From 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.: 70 degrees

• From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.: 80 degrees

• From 6 to 11 p.m.: 70 degrees

• From 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.: 75 degrees

Watch Las Vegas home insulation seal in the savings

Compound these savings with Las Vegas home attic insulation, which can save another 20 percent on your energy bills. As many people have learned this summer, Las Vegas home insulation is just as vital in hot weather – to keep a home cool – as it is in the winter, to keep it warm.

To learn more about the benefits of insulation, download First Quality's free Home Insulation Guide.Then call us to schedule an inspection so we can check the insulation levels in your home. Just don't be surprised if you hear First Quality team members cast their vote for the greatest invention – and one of the best investments you will ever make in your home.