Four years ago I began working in the HVACR industry. I knew the terms hot, cold, sticky, and ductwork. After being immersed in the terminology and technology, I have found that while the rest of the girls are checking out the tile color in my friend’s new apartment bathroom, I am standing in the utility closet wondering why the HVAC system hasn’t been upgraded since the Reagan administration.

Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised that when I got a new thermostat about a month ago, I was excited.

I plugged it in, programmed it, and off it went, controlling the indoor comfort of my domicile. The new thermostat and the old thermostat are the same brand — set exactly the same way. I noticed, however, that with the new thermostat, I am often too warm. Thinking this was all in my head, I got out the old thermostat and placed it directly above the new one for a few days to see what it read.

And after a month of comparisons, I have come to the conclusion that something is definitely not right.

The problem is what?

The new thermostat reads 71˚F and the old one reads 72˚. When the old one read 71˚ I was comfortable. When the new one reads 71˚ I am sometimes comfortable, but more often too warm.

Did I miss something? Which is correct, and why is my once perfectly comfortable home too warm now that I have upgraded my thermostat?