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Nobody loves paying more than they absolutely have to for utilities. Want to know the #1 secret to saving money on your heating and cooling bills? Use less heating and cooling. That doesn’t mean you have to be uncomfortable in your home, though! It only means you have to use your HVAC system to its maximum efficiency. And that starts with your thermostat.

Three Types of Thermostats

Thermostats come in three types: manual, programmable, and smart. Manual thermostats are the old-school type you run across in older hotels (or maybe your grandparents’ house.) They’re inexpensive, but they aren’t especially precise or energy efficient. To ensure maximum efficiency of your HVAC unit, you have to manually adjust the settings every time you enter and leave your home.

Nowadays, most people have a programmable thermostat. You program the thermostat to output various temperatures throughout the day to maximize your savings and comfort. For example, when it’s warm outside, you can set your thermostat higher when you’re not home and lower in the evening. These electronic thermostats allow for customization, adaptation, convenience, and energy savings. They may cost more than their manual predecessors, but the savings are absolutely worth it.

Now here’s the really cool option. Smart thermostats are essentially programmable thermostats on steroids. If you’re looking for all the best features and then some—we’re talking self-learning and energy-use data galore—a smart thermostat is the way to go. You’re definitely going to pay for the extras, though; even the most basic models run about $250.

We’re going to guess (and strongly recommend) you don’t go for the manual thermostat. So how do you decide between the programmable and smart options? Keep reading.

Three Differences Between Programmable Thermostats and Smart Thermostats

#1 Customization

Programmable thermostats allow for varying degrees of customization, depending on the model you choose:

  • 7-day models allow you to have a different schedule every day of the week. 
  • 5+2 models have the same schedule for the 5-day work week and a different schedule for weekends. 
  • 5+1+1 models provide the same schedule for the 5-day work week then different schedules for each weekend day. 

Smart thermostats offer these same settings plus the ability to make adjustments on-the-go using a smartphone—even when you’re not homeLet’s say soccer practice went a little shorter than usual, but your kiddo worked up a real sweat. You can adjust the thermostat on your way home to give you the perfect temperature when you return.

Some smart thermostats are also self-learning—they can track movement in your home to figure out more specific patterns and schedules, automatically adjusting themselves as needed to keep you comfortable.

#2 Cost

There’s a steep price difference between smart and programmable thermostats. A smart thermostat can easily set you back $250, while programmable thermostats are more in the range of $60 to $100.  

So do smart thermostats result in a significantly more efficient system? Will you make up for the initial cost over time? Probably not. You can expect to save the same amount using a programmable or smart thermostat, meaning all that extra money is going toward bells and whistles, not energy efficiency.

#3 Bells and Whistles

For some people, smart thermostats cross the thin line between futuristic and just downright creepy. If you’re uncomfortable with smart tech in your home, a programmable thermostat will serve you better! 

Here’s another consideration: To get the full use of a smart thermostat, you’ll want to take advantage of features like energy reports and monitoring. If that’s not you, a smart thermostat probably isn’t the best choice. 

Similarities Between Smart and Programmable Thermostats

Ultimately, depending on your budget and preferences, either thermostat will be a great upgrade to your home! Given their key similarities, it’s pretty hard to make the wrong decision.

You’ll experience nearly the same cost savings. If you use your thermostat to its full potential, you can expect to save 15 to 30% on your energy bills. ENERGY STAR gives a pretty thorough list of things to keep in mind to get the most from your thermostat.

The thermostat needs to be compatible with your home. Depending on the age of your home and the existing HVAC system, you might be limited in your options. Both programmable and smart thermostats need to be compatible with your HVAC system. Each thermostat should be professionally installed. Both smart and programmable thermostats should be installed by your Calgary HVAC technician. Give us a call today!

Serving Calgary, AB and surrounding areas

We take immense pride in providing Calgary, AB and surrounding areas with top-notch plumbing, heating, and cooling services, ensuring every home and business operates smoothly year-round. Our team’s expertise and dedication shine through in every project, earning the trust and satisfaction of our valued customers across the city. Serving you isn’t just a job for us; it’s a commitment to excellence and a testament to our passion for keeping our community comfortable and thriving.

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A job well done.

I had furnace venting replaced. This company is efficient and very professional. You know who is coming to do the work and given notice of when they’ll arrive. Heinz was very knowledgeable, professional, was not bothered by all my questions. He gave full explanations, reasons why, and great advice on maintenance care. He showed that he cared about what he was doing and was very efficient in getting the work done quickly. I highly recommend this company and Heinz.

Elsa Krienke

We could not do the water valve replacement because the city could not shut the water off. I was warned ahead of time that this might happen so was not worried. Yamil was courteous and professional and I look forward to his return when the city can fulfill there end of the job. Justin and Sean were great with the furnace install. It went smoothly and Justin explained the new thermostat fully. The walk through on the furnace was useful and timely. Justin and Sean were friendly and professional and great to work with. John who came out for the initial inspection…

Paul Palardy

Thank you! Your service has always been reliable, professional,and friendly.
Rural folks can depend on you, as We have for more than 30 years, for both our property and others.
If you say you’re coming – you show up- or you promptly let us know of any delays! AND do a fantastic job. We’d asked for certain day & hours, as our neighbour has a B&B, didn’t want to cause issues with septic removal smells for them. YOU DELIVERED! Thank you. The Jackson’s.

Robert Jackson

Heinz was professional and honest. He gave me options and the price. The price was the price and there were no extra charges. He worked on a boiler system that was having issues. He flushed and cleaned system and everything is back up and running. When he was finished he asked if I had any question. I look forward to him coming back to service this system again.

Curtis W.

Drake Ahern did an awesome job cleaning the ducts. Was very friendly and professional. Worked hard and paid attention to all the details. I’d definitely have him back next time.

David Dickinson

The appointment to come to check my boiler was prompt and early I’m the day so I didn’t have to wait the whole day. I received a call 15mins before the arrival. An email and a text was sent earlier. Gerry introduced himself and told me his purpose. He checked my boiler for a while then explained clear to me what the problem was, it was relief to know that it is nit necessarily a serious one. He made further checks and made some recommendations for change of some worn out parts, the re-glycol – 10yrs overdue and some leak that…

Roland B.

Arrived on time and did a quick and efficient replacement of my kitchen sink faucet. Also took the time to further explain the operation of the water softener installed on the last visit.
Richard was friendly and knowledgeable. Great service!

Marybeth Marrow

Barry did a great job in replacing a leaking Hot Water tank. Just a bit shocked at how much the cost of a new tank has increased over the years. We would certainly use ClearView for future jobs.

Ken Stowell

Barry was fantastic. Explained the steps that would be required to detect the leak and then proceeded with the work. He was professional and managed to fix our issue same day. He left our home clean and tidy before leaving. Overall very happy.

Jonathan Wilson

Can’t say enough about the great service I received from Heinz regarding some concerning alerts we got on our Ecobee Smart Thermostat yesterday. I felt cared for and trusted that he was focused on the necessary followup to assure our safety. Heinz is very good at his job.

Kim Koch

John came out to review our heating and AC set-up. He was very knowledgeable and patient as he walked us through the various units and proposed maintenance program. Would highly recommend.

Lucus Tomei

Jon was on time and dispatch team did their best to get him to the property to do an inspection on leaking pipes and backup sewer system. Jon then immediately got another job into the system to have a deeper inspection of the entire system to determine where the blockage was.

David Crawford

Had them update and install our infloor heating two zones, and add tank less hot water on demand and install a water softener. Our technician was very professional kept his work area tidy, cleaned up after himself. He also wiped down all the equipment used including piping and tubing. He was friendly, kept us informed on his progress. You could tell he enjoys what he does… great job Thank you so much.

Carol Hill

Clearview was excellent to deal with. Very professional in their approach and the picture sent of the plumber before hand is an excellent idea. Richard was great to deal with. He gave me different options to resolve the problem.

Rick Pultz

Our hot water tank blew and fortunately we noticed right away. We called Clearview Services late in the evening and we were answered right away. We were kept in the loop throughout the entire experience and Gabe Colpitts was the service technician who visited the next morning. He was very professional and spent the time to explain and educate the different options that were available. We were up and running with hot water the very next day.

Mike Mario

I felt the company is oriented on quality of customer service , they send me the track link when dispatch the plumber, and the plumber is super on time too . I really appreciate Richard , he is supper patient to help me find out what is the best solution, focus on customer’s interest . Thank you again , I will definitely use your service again when I having plumbing problems, which I hope it will never happen.

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