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Tried a $30 programmable thermostat and it actually paid off in two months
I swapped out my basic old thermostat for a cheap programmable one from Home Depot, and my electric bill dropped by about $18 the first month. The secret was setting it to kick the AC off when we're all out for school drop-offs and errands (like 8 to 2), then cool the house down before the kids get back. My wife was skeptical at first, but she noticed the difference when she wasn't freezing at noon. Has anyone else seen real savings with one of these, or did I just get lucky with my house?
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emery1992mo ago
Yeah exactly, the key is timing it right. I set mine to kick on about 30 minutes before I get home so I'm not wasting power cooling an empty house all afternoon. Works great during summer when the sun is beating down.
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elliotm702mo ago
Oh man that reminds me of when I tried to do that with my old thermostat and totally screwed it up. I set it to cool at 4pm thinking I'd be home by 4:30 but then got stuck in traffic for an hour. Came home to a house that was still roasting because it kicked on too late. Now I have a smart thermostat that learns my schedule but honestly half the time it just does whatever it wants anyway.
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