The thermostat is the brain of your air conditioning system. It tells the system when to come on and when to shut off. Most people overlook the thermostat in terms of maintenance, but some thermostats do in fact require maintenance for proper performance (ie: batteries, cleaning, calibration, etc). The more sophisticated the thermostat, the more attention it may require. Thermostats also play a major role in energy efficiency. A programmable thermostat will reduce your heating / cooling associated utility costs by controlling the amount of energy used by the system with timed sessions of heating and cooling. With a programmable thermostat you can program set points for the system to turn on, and set a different temperatures at each setting. A good example is that most customers who have a programmable thermostat will set the temperature to their comfort level in the evening, overnight and in the morning, and then have a set point, a time after everyone has left for the day, for a higher temperature. Another set point is established for an hour or so before everyone comes home to bring the temperature back to the comfort level. In this way, the system is running less, therefore using less energy and saving you money. North Central Florida Air Conditioning, Inc. would be happy to discuss your needs and match you with the perfect thermostat for your air conditioning and heating system.