Churches and homes can save a lot of energy by programming their thermostat settings to be cooler in winter/warmer in summer when the spaces are not in use. Our building has 7 thermostat zones. All of these areas are unoccupied most of the time, on mostly regular schedules. Until this month, the thermostats were not programmed; they maintained comfortable temperatures all the time in all areas. During the extreme cold of December, we missed the opportunity to save energy with our programmable thermostats, and our MUD bill was over $1,200!
The thermostats are now programmed to “set-back” to less comfortable temperatures during times when people are not usually present. We want everyone to be comfortable when using the building. If you wish to use an area during a set-back time and you are not comfortable, please adjust the temperature to make yourself comfortable (see instructions, last paragraph below). The thermostat will revert to its programmed temperature according to its schedule. The set-back temperature in the sanctuary is close to the in-use temperature because our piano and organ require a narrow temperature range at all times.
Below are the currently programmed temperatures and schedules. Please respond to the church office if you see a need for different times or temperatures. The thermostats cannot be programmed for individual days, just weekend vs. weekday. We hope programming the thermostats will maximize energy savings while minimizing the need for people to adjust thermostats to make themselves comfortable.
When events are scheduled for “unoccupied” times, the first person in or the meeting host should adjust the thermostat (see thermostat photo below) by pressing the up-pointing triangle or down-pointing triangle until the desired temperature is displayed on the right. The system will soon bring the space to that temperature. The temperature you select will remain in effect until the next programmed period.
Please do not press the “HOLD” button. This is not necessary and will interfere with the program. To cancel a hold, press the button under "Run schedule" or "cancel" on the left, and "Done".
Thank you for helping us save money and energy!