CHATSWORTH, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 5, 2012) - With record-breaking summer temperatures, higher utility bills are affecting homeowners across the country. Now with mobile apps, homeowners can remotely monitor and instantly adjust their thermostat settings to help cut energy costs from the couch or across town.
Utilizing the free Venstar mobile app, homeowners can manage their energy usage at one or multiple residences by easily checking room temperatures and making sure the heating and cooling setpoints are set correctly for maximum energy savings. Homeowners can also easily program high and low temperature alerts for each thermostat and immediately receive an email if their thermostat temperatures falls above or below their preset limits.
From Venstar, maker of the best-selling ColorTouch® programmable residential thermostat, here are the top tips for making the most of a programmable thermostat, whether it's remotely controlled by a mobile app or right on the wall.
1. Program each day of the week to match your schedule. For example, program higher temperatures for the days that no one is home, such as work or school days.
2. Program four periods for each day -- morning, daytime, evening and night. Home temperatures can be set higher when no one is home and cooler during nighttime sleep hours.
3. Be smart about the temperatures you choose to program. For every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer (or lower in the winter), you save approximately 2 percent on your energy bill.
4. Make sure your thermostat is installed away from heating or cooling appliances and away from direct sunlight to avoid false readings, which can increase usage.
5. Consider vacation time when programming your thermostat. Temperatures can be set higher while you are away and the home is unoccupied, but do consider the wellbeing of pets and plants. Having a steady temperature can also help reduce energy use and costs.
6. For homes with zoned heating and cooling areas, consider completely closing off unused areas and turning off the heating or cooling to reduce overall energy costs.
7. For battery-operated thermostats or those with battery back-up systems, be sure to change the batteries every year so they stay fresh and effective.
8. Using a mobile app, homeowners can monitor and control their thermostats remotely from their mobile devices. Homeowners can view energy usage easily and adjust the temperature from virtually anywhere. Besides, it's always a good idea to check to make sure no one has set the air conditioning too low or the heat too high.
About ColorTouch
ColorTouch is a best-selling, highly rated programmable color touch screen thermostat that allows users to use their own photos as the background wallpaper, screen saver and slide show. Available with the Skyport™ Wi-Fi Key for the ColorTouch residential thermostat, the Skyport Wi-Fi Key connects to Venstar's Skyport Cloud Services, which, when used with Venstar's new mobile application, allows users to remotely monitor and control their home thermostats. Compatible with Apple iPhone®, iTouch®, iPad®, Blackberry, Android, Mac and PC devices, the ColorTouch residential thermostat with Skyport Wi-Fi Key is priced under $250 (estimated consumer cost).
About Venstar Inc.
Founded in 1992, Venstar Inc. is a leading thermostat and energy management system (EMS) supplier, known for providing value to its customers via ease of use and installation, proven cost savings, improved energy efficiency, quality and reliability. Venstar is one of the largest thermostat suppliers in the world and designs and produces Venstar-branded products, as well as OEM thermostat products for the biggest names in HVAC. Venstar's Surveyor is a leading energy management system, typically saving small-box retailers 25 percent of their energy costs, which translates to millions of dollars in savings and dramatic reductions in C02 emissions. Surveyor currently controls the energy usage of more than 14,000 retail locations across the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
For more information, visit: http://www.venstar.com/Thermostats/ColorTouch/
For product videos, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8reHhhLdMQ
Email: sales@venstar.com
Telephone: 818-812-9930
Contact Information:
PR Contacts:
Teri Sawyer
T&Co.
714-536-8407
Stacey Doss
T&Co.
949-285-2362
