For several hours a day you’re away at work, or possibly at school. Yet your comfort system keeps going and going, despite the house being empty. This needs a ton of energy and wastes money. You can dramatically reduce this cost by setting the thermostat up or down when you leave for work and resetting it back to your favored temperature when you get home. But how much should you adjust it?
Here’s what the Department of Energy says about thermostat settings:
You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply setting your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its usual setting. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in more temperate climates than for those in more severe climates.
The lower the difference between the both temperatures, the more affordable your total cooling bill can be. You can comfortably save energy through the winter by adjusting the thermostat to something like 68°F while you're awake and adjusting it lower while you're asleep or away from home. In the summer, you can follow the same plan with central air conditioning by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are at work and tweaking the thermostat to a setting as warm as is comfortable for you when you return and want cooling and to ensure humidity control if necessary.
You could have been told that making these adjustments aren’t worth the time because your HVAC has to work even harder to return to your preferred temperature, using up your savings, but the energy department puts that notion to rest, especially for a furnace: “A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. In fact, as soon as your house drops below its normal temperature, it will lose energy to the surrounding environment more slowly.”
Programmable and Smart Thermostats
Even with the benefits of changing your thermostat each time you head to work, it’s easy to overlook in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one benefit of programmable and smart thermostats. You can adjust your thermostat to automatically shift to a different temperature through your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can change the temperature (or the programming schedule) remotely. This is particularly helpful if you’ve forgotten to change the setting before going on vacation.
Always Remember the Pets
If you own pets, consider their comfort too. Cats and dogs with heavy fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with short fur might not be comfortable with cold temperatures. The same applies to tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Since temperature preferences differ significantly by breed and species, so review them for your pets.
Other Benefits of Adjusting Your Thermostat for When You’re Away
- Carbon emissions - The harder you use your heating and air conditioning, the more carbon emissions you generate. Saving energy minimizes air pollution and greenhouse gasses.
- HVAC Longevity - Demanding too much from your HVAC unit can diminish its life span and cause more maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter may clog up more quickly, making your indoor air supply worse.
If you have any concerns about your air conditioner settings, or if you require HVAC repair or maintenance, get in touch with the professionals at Freschi Service Experts, a big company with local heart. We’re serious about making the world a cozy place to live. Whether we’re warming, cooling or making the water run, we take great pride in keeping our customers and communities comfortable and satisfied.
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