For plenty of hours a day you’re away at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your comfort system keeps going and going, despite the house being empty. This needs a lot of energy and costs you money. You can dramatically scale back this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down before you go to work and resetting it back to your desired temperature when you return home. But how much should you adjust the temperature?
Here’s what the Department of Energy suggests about thermostat changes:
You can save as much as 10% a year on HVAC costs by just turning your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day rather than its normal setting. The percentage of savings from setback is better for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates.
The tinier the contrast between the both temperatures, the less expensive your complete cooling bill can be. You can easily save energy through the winter by adjusting the thermostat to around 68°F while you're awake and setting it down while you're asleep or away from home. During the summer, you can follow the same strategy with central air conditioning by leaving your house warmer than normal when you are at work and adjusting the thermostat to a setting as warm as you're comfortable with when you are at home and want cooling and to secure humidity control if needed.
You could have been advised that doing these adjustments won't be worth the time because your heating and cooling has to work even harder to return to your preferred temperature, using up your savings, but the energy department dismisses that claim, namely for heating: “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 adjusting your thermostat each time you head to work, it’s very easy to forget in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one advantage of programmable and smart thermostats. You can set your thermostat to automatically change to a different temperature during your average work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can increase or decrease the temperature (or the programming schedule) from anywhere. This is especially helpful if you’ve forgotten to adjust the setting before going on a long trip.
Don't Forget the Pets
If you have a pet, think about their comfort too. Cats and dogs with thick fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with less fur won't always be comfortable with cold temperatures. The same goes for tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Since temperature tolerances vary widely by breed and species, so review them for your pets.
More Advantages of Adjusting Your Thermostat for When You’re Away
- Carbon emissions - The harder you operate your heating and cooling, the more carbon emissions you generate. Preserving energy minimizes air pollution and greenhouse gasses.
- HVAC Longevity - Overworking your heating and cooling can reduce its life expectancy and cause additional maintenance to be needed. 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, call the professionals at Coastal Service Experts, a big company with homegrown heart. We’re passionate 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 cozy and satisfied.
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