Upgrade Your Thermostat for Better Furnace Control
Lower your home heating costs without enduring a chilly house.
Let’s be real: home budgets have been a real sour spot for Suffolk County families in recent years. Inflation has been persistently challenging for a long time, and that certainly includes energy expenses.
What are Long Island homeowners to do? Heating can have an outsized impact on your household spending, and there are plenty of upgrades you can do to reduce how much heating oil you use in the winter. You can improve your home’s insulation and other weatherproofing. You can upgrade your furnace to a more efficient model. But perhaps the most inexpensive but still impactful upgrade you can make is to your home’s thermostat. In this article, we’ll discuss how this cost-effective change can lower your furnace’s fuel consumption.
Choosing the Right Thermostat for Comfort and Savings
Understanding your thermostat options can help you make the best choice for your home:
- Manual Thermostats are the simplest models, featuring basic dial or slider controls for setting a single temperature. They’re inexpensive but require constant adjustment and offer no scheduling or automation.
- Programmable Thermostats let you create custom heating schedules that match your daily routine. You can automatically lower the temperature while you sleep or when no one’s home — and have your space warm and cozy when you return. This automation brings consistent comfort and measurable energy savings.
- Smart Thermostats represent the latest in energy-efficient home technology. Burt’s Reliable sells and installs Ecobee smart thermostats, which go beyond standard Wi-Fi controls. These advanced systems can monitor the temperature in individual rooms and automatically adjust heating when they detect that a space is unoccupied — helping you save energy without lifting a finger. You can also control them remotely from your smartphone, ensuring comfort and efficiency wherever you are.
Although smart thermostats cost more upfront, their long-term savings, convenience and precision make them a worthwhile investment for energy-conscious homeowners.
Temperature Strategies That Lower Heating Costs
Smart thermostat management can reduce your fuel expenses without compromising comfort:
- Set Back the Temperature When You’re Away or Asleep: The U.S. Department of Energy recommends lowering your thermostat by 7–10°F for about eight hours a day to reduce heating costs by up to 10%. Programmable and smart thermostats make this effortless.
- Use Remote Access: With a smart thermostat’s mobile app, you can change your home’s temperature from anywhere — perfect for last-minute trips or unexpected schedule changes.
- Let Automation Work for You: Ecobee’s sensors and learning features automatically adjust your heating based on occupancy patterns, weather, and your preferences — saving energy while keeping your home perfectly comfortable.
Burt’s Reliable Can Lower Your Home Heating Costs
In addition to our state-of-the-art thermostats, Burt’s Reliable has many options to reduce your energy spending without sacrificing home comfort. Our HVAC experts can provide attentive furnace maintenance to ensure your equipment is running efficiently and prevent breakdowns throughout the year. You can get this annual service, plus discounts on repairs, with a Burt’s service plan. And when the time comes for a heating upgrade, we install exceptionally efficient furnaces that can provide immediate and long-lasting reductions in your fuel consumption.
Finally, Burt’s Reliable delivers clean-burning Bioheat® fuel containing 20% biodiesel. Not only does this eco-friendly heating oil reduce wear on your system; it also qualifies you for a New York State tax credit!
Our company proudly serves customers in Mattituck, Riverhead, Orient and other nearby communities. Reach out to us to become a customer.