One of the best energy savers I installed was a programmable thermostat. I work outside the home 5-6 days a week and the house is empty for 8-10 hours each one of those days. This new thermostat that I bought and had installed, allows either the AC or Furnace remain off during those times. I even have it set up to turn on about 30 minutes before I get home so that I don't come home to a cold/hot house.

My energy bills have definitely gone down and I really haven't noticed a difference.

Does anyone else have experience with these devices and any advice on how to optimize their performance?

Can you override these devices? I work out of the home most of the week, but there are times when I have the opportunity to take work home. Can I just come home and turn the heat/ac on?

Also, my girlfriend wants to get a dog. How does a programmable thermostat address the presence of a dog or is it sort of one or the other in this case?

A programmable thermostat can easily be overriden. If you come home early, just turn on the AC or heat and you are good to go. Some of the fancier smart home models can even be remotely turned on via the internet.

The dog issue is a bit of a sticking point though. On really cold days and really hot days, you can program the thermostat to kick on at certain temps to assure that the house gets neither too hot nor too cold. This does sort of defeat the purpose of the device but all in all you can still pull it off with pets.

I like the idea of the override on these as there are times when my schedule changes without notice. I would like to know what level of customization you have. In a new fangled world of technology, there must be one of these you can control over the internet, turning on the heat as you are on your way home.

Anyone seen one of those yet?

I have not installed on yet, but I want one for my house. Check this manufacturer out. There are others on the market, but this one caught my eye because they carry professional models as well. The basic model is probably suitable for any home. Ok here's the link

http://www.proliphixstore.com/basicseries.html

Controlling the thermostat over the internet? Really? Do people actually need this? How much control and connectedness is too much? I seem to think that there is a trend in our society to see what we can do rather than what you should do and what we need. For CENTURIES humans didn't NEED a thermostat controlled from a remote location to survive.

I think that what I am getting at is that there is a mental and lifestyle change that needs to be addressed in living green rather than just the technology end, but I digress and I will continue this on another thread.

I see what you are saying about our dependence on technology and gadgetry, but for some people this is an advantage and one that will save resources. Sure we could go back and do without AC and some amenities. Its all in what you can afford and what you need to make your life both comfortable and convenient while saving money and resources.