What Is A Programmable Thermostat?

A thermostat is a device that cools the house during hot periods of the day and warms the house during cold periods, by activating a heating and cooling system, so that the temperature of the house remains at a desired setting. You don’t have to feel too hot or too cold. But it is up to you to decide the degree of hotness or coldness that you are comfortable with.

· Development of the Thermostat.
The first invention used a bimetallic strip; two pieces of metal riveted together. The bimetallic strip acted as a connector in an electrical circuit. When the room heated up, the strip would expand to break the circuit and return to complete the circuit when the room cooled. However metal takes a long time to heat and so manufacturers started using gas as a connector or bridge. When the room hits up the gas expands and breaks the circuit, as the room cools, the gas contracts and the metal conductors are pressed back together to complete the connection again. Human beings are always in pursuit of the better, the more comfortable and the greener; one that conserves energy. Thus the programmable thermostat was invented.

· Programmable Thermostats are automatic.
A programmable thermostat is one that set to adjust up and down the temperature of the house automatically, according to the environments temperature without you getting up to set it manually every time that surrounding temperature changes. They are also called automatic thermostats, they can adjust and readjust the temperature by themselves according to the way you set them, whether you are present in the house or not.

· They cut on energy consumption.
They have been designed particularly to help you save energy. For instance, during cold days of January that you are away at work the house doesn’t need to be warmed. It doesn’t need to cool either during those hot days of May that you are not at home. You only need to set in advance, in the morning how you want the temperature to be throughout the day. This way power that is spent in heating or warming up an unoccupied house will be saved, thus keeping down your electricity bills.

· They demand less attention.
They are preferred in public and/or commercial buildings that are only occupied during the day. Besides, in places like this no one will notice to set or adjust temperature levels due to human forgetfulness. The programmable thermostat will remember the instructions given to it, sometimes for several days. You set the time of day that periods of “hot” or “cold” starts and what temperature you would like during that time, the thermostat will carry the instructions and adjust the temperature of the room automatically. This can come in handy at night, before you sleep you set the present times comfortable temperature, and morning’s temperature. This way you will not wake up to a chilly morning, and also you will save cooling power. It’s been proved that the power it takes to cool the house is more than what it takes to warm up the house.

Common types of programmable thermostats include:
· The electromechanical Programmable thermostats.
Programming or setting programmable thermostats is easy, it is done by sliding two levers on a temperature scale and then readjusting the clocks’ movable tabs. The time sets is only “evening” or “morning”. They store the setting for the given day and will work automatically according to your temperature and time selection. Such are the common types and they are called electromechanical because of how you adjust and readjust clock and temperature.

· Digital programmable thermostats.
However there are other types that remember instructions for several days. They are called Digital Programmable Thermostats and are conspicuous by a small LED read out screens and buttons for entering data as in the way a small calculator looks. They are set by typing in the temperature levels you want at what time of the day. Unlike the electromechanical, they provide four time presets instead of two. Digital programmable thermostats have been known to provide accurate temperature adjustments. They retain your instructions for several days and if the weather patterns remain the same you don��t have to go through the trouble of re-programming them every day. 

· The Hybrid Programmable thermostats.
The Hybrid Programmable thermostats combine the usability of the digital programmable and the electromechanical. They are easier to handle as they address the concern raised by some people; as the Digital Programmable are difficult to programme and so the Hybrids were introduced. They can be preset manually like in the electromechanical by adjusting clock levers and temperature knobs, but they retain the precision and memory of the Digital Programmable thermostats.

· Light sensing programmable thermostats.
There are thermostat types that sense the temperature of light in the room and readjust. They are called Light Sensing Programmable thermostats. When light temperatures of the room start to increase they sense that the room is occupied by persons who have switched on the lights, they then start to cool the house if it’s hot outside or warm the room if it’s cold. When lights are switched off they sense the decreased light temperature and know that the room is unoccupied. They cut down on the cooling or the warming. The light sensing programmable thermostats are very effective for offices or stores where people have to operate with lights on. They conserve a lot of energy compared to conventional ones.

· WI-FI Enabled Thermostats.
Some programmable types let you set and reset your air conditioning system over Wi-Fi. You may be away at work and you decide to leave early for home, in such a case you just get onto your Smartphone and connect to your air conditioning system’s Wi-Fi and make necessary adjustments. Or if you are at the airport planning to travel for a long time and you forgot to readjust your thermostat you can easily do it over Wi-Fi. Thermostats are an ultimate way to cut down on energy it requires to condition the temperature of the house. They are ideal for Singapore as in any other country that tries to conserve electricity. Food stores can now not undergo losses of products spoiling because of too high or too low temperatures, and your children left at home won’t have to persevere in adverse temperatures until you get home to readjust your thermostat.