Time to Get Rid of Your Old Mercury Filled Thermostat — Here’s Why

The mercury filled thermostat has been the time-tested thermostat ever since the modern age of forced air home heating. The design hasn’t changed much since the first types were available, and although reliable, they have never been the most efficient way to turn a furnace off and on during the heating season.

Although a mercury filled thermostat may last 20 years, or more, the mechanical parts begin to wear out long before that, becoming less accurate and therefore less efficient over time. No matter how efficient your furnace is, if the mercury filled thermostat is beginning to wear out and constantly calling for heat, you’ll be paying more on your energy bill each month. But that’s not the worst of it.

When a mercury filled thermostat is finally disposed of, it more often than not, resides in a landfill where the mercury leaks out and pollutes the environment. That pollution ends up in fish and fowl, and in many cases, in the food we consume.

The Best Alternative to Your Mecury Filled Thermostat

A digital electronic thermostat has no moving parts, no mercury, and will always remain efficient over its lifespan, which can be longer than 15 years. It is estimated that by using an electronic thermostat over a mercury filled type, the average homeowner can save up to 30 percent on energy costs alone. Electronic thermostats can be programmed to provide heating and cooling only when someone is in the home.

After all, when everyone is at school and at work, you don’t need to waste energy by heating an empty house. But that is the kind of control you will have by using an electronic thermostat over a mechanical mercury filled kind. However, peace of mind may top anything else. You’ll never be polluting the environment by using an electronic thermostat, and that may be the best reason of all.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues – especially HVAC and plumbing issues – so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

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