When is the last time you replaced your thermostat? Technology has advanced tremendously in the last 5 years. Thermostats now have features that help to save you money. If you haven’t upgraded in a while, you may want to consider it.

Our favorite thermostat is the Aprilaire 8466. You can program this thermostat to  maintain a lower temperature while you are at work or sleeping. Before, you could manually do this but that means when you get home or wake up, you are in a cold house. With this great money saving feature, you can set your thermostat to start warming up your home before you return. You can even create a different program for weekdays and weekends.

With this great device, you don’t even have to keep up with the service schedule of your furnace. It will remind you when to change your filters and when you need maintenance. This will help to extend the life of your system since you won’t have missed filter changes anymore. Clogged filters cause the furnace to work harder than normal due to decreased air flow. This causes an increase in the wear of your furnace parts. In the long run, this will cause the life of your furnace to decrease. The EPA has stated that the indoor air can be up to 5 times more toxic than the air outdoors. (Click here for more tips about extending the life of your furnace.)

Traditionally, thermostats only have two modes for the fan: “ON” and “AUTO.” This Aprilaire thermostat includes a third mode, “CIRCULATE.” This great feature helps to eliminate hot and cold spots within your home. Since the air within your home is circulating more often, it passes through the air filter more frequently keeping your indoor air cleaner.Older thermostats have such small print, you practically need a magnifying glass to read them. This large, 4.5 inch LCD screen with high contrast eliminates that issue. It even tells you the outdoor temperature. Now you’ll know if you need a jacket BEFORE you go outside.