Programmable Thermostat

Programmable thermostats add functionality, efficiency and ease of use to any situation where temperature control is necessary. Essentially, this type of thermostat is able to activate cooling or heating systems at based on pre-programmed parameters. These parameters are what determines how the thermostat works and what it is required to do. Another name for a programmable thermostat is a clock thermostat.

A clock thermostat is considered to be the most basic programmable thermostat available today in that it can be as simple as being only able to maintain one set of program parameters or program. There are more advanced clock thermostats that allow for different temperature conditions to be programmed for any given day. Nevertheless, the clock thermostat is easy to program given its limited capacity.

A more advanced thermostat is the digital one. Digital thermostats have more capabilities than the clock thermostats in that they are able to store and process different programs relating to different periods of time. This type of programmable thermostat is more convenient because it gives control over a wider array of conditions such as being able to program in consideration of weather conditions.

More advanced digital programmable thermostat models also can be programmed to give feedback on maintenance functions such as air filter change. This is important as the controller in the thermostat has to function based on its own reading of the environment it is in. Therefore a bad filter will tend to distort the conditions in the environment resulting in undesirable outcomes.

Commercial operations tend to use digital programmable thermostat with a PID (proportional–integral–derivative) controller. The built-in PID controller gives the thermostat a higher degree of failure tolerance by being able to make adjustments in the stored programs depending on errors or exceptions to required conditions. The algorithms used by the PID controller is a bit complex but essentially is will pick up on an error or errors and using the desired conditions, the error and a calculation of the rate at which the situation is changing is able to make adjustments to the programmed thermostat.

Programmable thermostats are extremely beneficial whether being used in a household, a small business or in a complex setting requiring strict temperature control. What determine the choice of thermostat are the requirements of each environment. A simple home environment may be able to make do with a basic programmable thermostat that is just able to maintain one level of temperature each day. However, some homes that are in areas with a wider degree of temperatures may need a bit more than this. Commercial environments will definitely need a more complex form of thermostat. So it all depends on the environment and the requirements involved.