It seems like some universal language everybody understands. Is it a HVAC thing? Electric or gas? Do all/most American households have one?
25 comments
It’s the control that tells the HVAC what degree to set to
it’s just the thing on the wall you adjust
A thermostat is a device which is usually mounted on a wall and which controls the heating and cooling systems. These days, they usually have a digital display with buttons that allow you to set specific temperatures, and then it will try to keep your home at that temperature. Modern smart systems have lots of other neat features, like being able to automatically change to cooler temperatures during your sleeping hours when electricity is cheaper, or activate the system remotely.
It is a device used to control the heating and cooling systems in a house. Adjusting it means to adjust the temperature of the home. It applies to all forms of heat, be they gas or electric, with the exception of very old systems that can only be controlled at the heating device itself.
It sets the temperature in the house, using heat or A/C as needed.
With modern ones, you set the temp and either system kicks on as needed to keep it right.
>Do all/most American households have one?
Only 2/3 of American homes do. According to the most recent results from the 2020 [*Residential Energy Consumption Survey*](https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/) (the most recent iteration) 88% of U.S. households use air conditioning and 66% of U.S. households use central AC or a central heat pump as their main AC equipment which is what a thermostat controls.
The important thing to understand is that almost all US homes have central heat and most also have central cooling. Because it’s all centralized, there is one device — the thermostat — which controls the temperature for the entire home.
It’s a device that controls the heating/cooling of the house. You set it to whatever temperature you want and it sends signals to the heater/AC to either heat or cool to whatever temperature you set it too.
We typically say don’t touch it because whoever controls it has it set to their desired temp. For example, my mom’s house SHE controls the thermostat. Whatever she wants it set to is what it gets set too. She normally keeps it around 65 F (18 Celsius) and gets extremely mad if anyone sets it higher because it’s “too hot” for her. My dad just goes along with it.
And yes, almost every single house has one. We also have AC in almost every single home.
More broadly, it’s a device which automatically turns heat or cooling on and off to maintain a given temperature. Cars have thermostats. Many portable heaters also have thermostats.The refrigerator has a thermostat.
Yes if you have central air (air conditioning) or central heat (gas or electric) you have a thermostat that controls the temperture of the house. Not touching it is cause only the person that pays the bills is allowed to decide the temperature of the house. Kids are known to be home alone and raise the temperture in the house in the winter leaving a very expensive surprise bill for their parents a month later.
It is used with central air/heat. It has a thermometer inside and turns on your A/C or furnace to keep your home/office at the desired temp. There are more modern thermostats that have wifi connectivity and the ability to have different temps at different times, but the basics are the same.
If you open your refrigerator, is there a knob you can adjust to make it warmer or cooler? Same idea
It’s a device on the wall that enables you to set the temperature via central heating and cooling systems.
Words that end in -stat tend to be measurement devices:
Thermos means temperature. People tend to prefer to be between 18°C and 25°C. So if you connect temperature measurement to heating and cooling, then you can keep your room nice and warm/cool.
Maybe look the other -stat up on Google.
The word thermostat is derived from the Greek words θερμός thermos, “hot” and στατός statos, “standing, stationary”.
A thermostat is a device that activates and deactivates at set temperature thresholds.
They can be complex electronics, simple electronics, or completely mechanical like the one in your car’s coolant line.
It’s the dial that controls the heating and cooling in your house.
It makes the house hotter or colder. Also comes with increased cost if you turn up AC or heat.
Common topic of discussion because certain people like it hotter or cooler than others (in my sister’s/mom/I case) or because they’re trying to save money at certain temp (my father)
My roommate and I are currently in a thermostat war bc it’s getting colder and I insist on 22-23 Celsius (72-74 degrees fahrenheit) and she wants to keep it at 21 Celsius. (70 degrees)
most american homes have a central heating unit, most also have central cooling (the box like 1~ meter tall fan of metal you see outside american homes thats the air con unit)
They are controlled by a little ususally battery operated knob or digital display on the wall, you can have smart ones that connect to wifi so you can control it from the phone or so it can heat and cool to keep a temperature instead of having to flip a switch on it to change form heating and cooling.
my husband from austria was amazed when he first came over here (bf at the time) he was like… you have air con centrally and heating aswell… in every home?
he was shocked even the oldest still had heating at least and then some window air units.
he then learned during the sumer in his second visit why as iowa summers get hot and humid and miserable.
i keep my house between 73-75F year round. its my comfy temp.
People say “don’t touch the thermostat” because they don’t want you adjusting the heat or air-conditioning because that costs money. They have set it to the temperature that they feel is appropriate for either their comfort, or their finances, and they’re telling you don’t touch it! My father’s favorite phrase in the winter time was “put a sweater on!” But we did not dare touch the thermostat!!
It’s a variable thermostatic switch to control the desired temperature of the space that a heating or AC unit is controlling
“Thermostat” is the word we use for the device on the wall (usually in a central location in the home such as the living room or main hallway) that controls the temperature the HVAC system is set to. It contains a thermometer to compare the air temperature in that room to the desired temperature, and turns the heat or air conditioning on or off accordingly. Many (most?) American homes have a centralized HVAC system controlled by such a device. Some larger homes might have multiple climate control zones, each with their own thermostat.
Some newer electric heat pump systems might allow for each room to be controlled separately. My house has a device that looks something like a TV remote to control the system in each room. I don’t call those a “thermostat.”
Why any need to ask an American? Ask any adult with a heating system.
Now they’re usually controlled by a timer that turns the heat up in the morning and down at night. When I was a kid, my parents turned the thermostat completely off in the evening and up when they woke up. We kids were not allowed to touch the thermostat.
25 comments
It’s the control that tells the HVAC what degree to set to
it’s just the thing on the wall you adjust
A thermostat is a device which is usually mounted on a wall and which controls the heating and cooling systems. These days, they usually have a digital display with buttons that allow you to set specific temperatures, and then it will try to keep your home at that temperature. Modern smart systems have lots of other neat features, like being able to automatically change to cooler temperatures during your sleeping hours when electricity is cheaper, or activate the system remotely.
It is a device used to control the heating and cooling systems in a house. Adjusting it means to adjust the temperature of the home. It applies to all forms of heat, be they gas or electric, with the exception of very old systems that can only be controlled at the heating device itself.
It sets the temperature in the house, using heat or A/C as needed.
With modern ones, you set the temp and either system kicks on as needed to keep it right.
>Do all/most American households have one?
Only 2/3 of American homes do. According to the most recent results from the 2020 [*Residential Energy Consumption Survey*](https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/) (the most recent iteration) 88% of U.S. households use air conditioning and 66% of U.S. households use central AC or a central heat pump as their main AC equipment which is what a thermostat controls.
The important thing to understand is that almost all US homes have central heat and most also have central cooling. Because it’s all centralized, there is one device — the thermostat — which controls the temperature for the entire home.
It’s a device that controls the heating/cooling of the house. You set it to whatever temperature you want and it sends signals to the heater/AC to either heat or cool to whatever temperature you set it too.
Here is how a generic one looks: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81INP1GY1QL.jpg
We typically say don’t touch it because whoever controls it has it set to their desired temp. For example, my mom’s house SHE controls the thermostat. Whatever she wants it set to is what it gets set too. She normally keeps it around 65 F (18 Celsius) and gets extremely mad if anyone sets it higher because it’s “too hot” for her. My dad just goes along with it.
And yes, almost every single house has one. We also have AC in almost every single home.
More broadly, it’s a device which automatically turns heat or cooling on and off to maintain a given temperature. Cars have thermostats. Many portable heaters also have thermostats.The refrigerator has a thermostat.
Yes if you have central air (air conditioning) or central heat (gas or electric) you have a thermostat that controls the temperture of the house. Not touching it is cause only the person that pays the bills is allowed to decide the temperature of the house. Kids are known to be home alone and raise the temperture in the house in the winter leaving a very expensive surprise bill for their parents a month later.
It is used with central air/heat. It has a thermometer inside and turns on your A/C or furnace to keep your home/office at the desired temp. There are more modern thermostats that have wifi connectivity and the ability to have different temps at different times, but the basics are the same.
If you open your refrigerator, is there a knob you can adjust to make it warmer or cooler? Same idea
It’s a device on the wall that enables you to set the temperature via central heating and cooling systems.
Words that end in -stat tend to be measurement devices:
* Thermostat
* Hygrostat
* Barostat
* Manostat
* Cryostat
* Microstat
* Pluviostat
* Rheostat
* Galvanostat
* Potentiostat
Thermos means temperature. People tend to prefer to be between 18°C and 25°C. So if you connect temperature measurement to heating and cooling, then you can keep your room nice and warm/cool.
Maybe look the other -stat up on Google.
The word thermostat is derived from the Greek words θερμός thermos, “hot” and στατός statos, “standing, stationary”.
A thermostat is a device that activates and deactivates at set temperature thresholds.
They can be complex electronics, simple electronics, or completely mechanical like the one in your car’s coolant line.
It’s the dial that controls the heating and cooling in your house.
It makes the house hotter or colder. Also comes with increased cost if you turn up AC or heat.
Common topic of discussion because certain people like it hotter or cooler than others (in my sister’s/mom/I case) or because they’re trying to save money at certain temp (my father)
My roommate and I are currently in a thermostat war bc it’s getting colder and I insist on 22-23 Celsius (72-74 degrees fahrenheit) and she wants to keep it at 21 Celsius. (70 degrees)
most american homes have a central heating unit, most also have central cooling (the box like 1~ meter tall fan of metal you see outside american homes thats the air con unit)
They are controlled by a little ususally battery operated knob or digital display on the wall, you can have smart ones that connect to wifi so you can control it from the phone or so it can heat and cool to keep a temperature instead of having to flip a switch on it to change form heating and cooling.
my husband from austria was amazed when he first came over here (bf at the time) he was like… you have air con centrally and heating aswell… in every home?
he was shocked even the oldest still had heating at least and then some window air units.
he then learned during the sumer in his second visit why as iowa summers get hot and humid and miserable.
i keep my house between 73-75F year round. its my comfy temp.
People say “don’t touch the thermostat” because they don’t want you adjusting the heat or air-conditioning because that costs money. They have set it to the temperature that they feel is appropriate for either their comfort, or their finances, and they’re telling you don’t touch it! My father’s favorite phrase in the winter time was “put a sweater on!” But we did not dare touch the thermostat!!
It’s a variable thermostatic switch to control the desired temperature of the space that a heating or AC unit is controlling
“Thermostat” is the word we use for the device on the wall (usually in a central location in the home such as the living room or main hallway) that controls the temperature the HVAC system is set to. It contains a thermometer to compare the air temperature in that room to the desired temperature, and turns the heat or air conditioning on or off accordingly. Many (most?) American homes have a centralized HVAC system controlled by such a device. Some larger homes might have multiple climate control zones, each with their own thermostat.
Some newer electric heat pump systems might allow for each room to be controlled separately. My house has a device that looks something like a TV remote to control the system in each room. I don’t call those a “thermostat.”
Why any need to ask an American? Ask any adult with a heating system.
If you’d like to learn more:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZC0SP02PqY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZC0SP02PqY)
Now they’re usually controlled by a timer that turns the heat up in the morning and down at night. When I was a kid, my parents turned the thermostat completely off in the evening and up when they woke up. We kids were not allowed to touch the thermostat.