For several hours a day you’re away at work, or maybe at school. Yet your heating or air conditioning keeps going and going, despite the house being empty. This uses up a lot of energy and feels like wasting money. You can dramatically reduce this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down before you go to work and adjusting it back to your favored temperature when you return home. But how much should you adjust it?
Here’s what the Department of Energy suggests about thermostat settings:
You can save around 10% a year on HVAC costs by just turning your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day rather than its usual setting. The percentage of savings from setback is better for buildings in cooler climates than for those in more dynamic climates.
The lower the variation between the both temperatures, the lower your complete cooling bill should be. You can comfortably save energy through the winter by setting the thermostat to around 68°F while you're awake and adjusting it lower while you're in bed or away from home. In the summer, you can practice the same strategy with central air conditioning by having your house warmer than normal when you are away and setting the thermostat to a setting as warm as you can manage comfortably when you're home and want cooling and to provide humidity control if required.
You could have been informed that doing these adjustments won't be worth the time because your HVAC has to work harder to get back to your desired temperature, reversing your savings, but the energy department dismisses that claim, namely 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
Despite the benefits of setting your thermostat any time you go to work, it’s easy to overlook in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one advantage of programmable and smart thermostats. You can direct your thermostat to automatically shift to another temperature through your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can increase or decrease the temperature (or the programming schedule) from anywhere. This is very helpful if you’ve neglected to change the setting before leaving for a trip.
Remember the Pets
If you own pets, think about their comfort as well. Cats and dogs with dense fur won’t be comfy with high temperatures. And pets with less fur might not be pleased with cold temperatures. The same applies to tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Since temperature tolerances vary universally by breed and species, so review them for your pets.
Additional Benefits of Changing Your Thermostat for When You’re Away
- Carbon emissions - The harder you operate your HVAC system, the more carbon emissions you produce. Preserving energy decreases air pollution and greenhouse gasses.
- HVAC Longevity - Overusing your HVAC unit can diminish its life expectancy and cause increased maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter may clog up faster, making your indoor air quality worse.
If you have any questions about your air conditioner features, or if you require HVAC repair or maintenance, get in touch with the specialists at R & M Climate Control Service Experts, a big company with hometown heart. We’re enthusiastic about making the world a cozy place to live. Whether we’re warming, cooling or making the water run, we have a lot of pride in keeping our customers and communities cozy and content.
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We are R & M Climate Control Service Experts! Offering strength, knowledge and support over every season.