For plenty of hours a day you’re gone at work, or maybe at school. Yet your comfort system keeps working, without anybody home. This uses a ton of energy and wastes money. You can dramatically lower this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down when you leave for work and setting it back to your desired temperature when you come home. But how much should you adjust the temperature?
Here’s what the Department of Energy has to say about thermostat settings:
You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling bills by just setting your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day compared to its typical setting. The percentage of savings from setback is better for buildings in more temperate climates than for those in more severe climates.
The lower the contrast between the both temperatures, the more affordable your complete cooling bill will be. You can effectively save energy during the winter by setting the thermostat to around 68°F while you're awake and adjusting it lower while you're asleep or away from home. During the summer, you can practice the same plan with central air conditioning by having your house warmer than normal when you are at work and setting the thermostat to a setting as warm as you can manage comfortably when you are at home and want cooling and to provide humidity control if required.
You may have been informed that these kinds of adjustments are not worth the time because your HVAC has to work even harder to return to your favored temperature, undoing your savings, but the energy department puts that notion to rest, especially 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 setting your thermostat any time you go to work, it’s easy to forget in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one perk of programmable and smart thermostats. You can instruct your thermostat to automatically move to a different temperature during your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can adjust the temperature (or the programming schedule) remotely. This is very helpful if you’ve neglected to fix the setting before going on a long trip.
Always Remember the Pets
If you have a pet, give consideration to their comfort as well. Cats and dogs with thick fur won’t be comfy with high temperatures. And pets with less dense fur won't always be happy with cold temperatures. The same goes for tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Because temperature tolerances deviate widely by breed and species, so review them for your pets.
More Advantages of Setting Your Thermostat for When You’re Away
- Carbon emissions - The harder you use your HVAC system, the more carbon emissions you generate. Preserving energy reduces air pollution and greenhouse gasses.
- HVAC Longevity - Demanding too much from your heating and cooling can diminish its life span and cause additional maintenance to be needed. It also means the air filter can clog up more quickly, making your air less clean.
If you have any concerns about your air conditioner settings, or if you need HVAC repair or maintenance, get in touch with the specialists at San Antonio Air Service Experts, a big company with local heart. We’re serious about making the world a comfortable place to live. Whether we’re keeping things warm, cooling things down or making the water flow, we have a lot of pride in keeping our customers and communities cozy and satisfied.
Experts — it’s in the name and core to our service. We work hard to help each technician or installer learn to be a skilled craftsman. We hire the best and provide instruction, opportunities and assistance, so everyone can learn, improve and be equipped for any challenge thrown their way.
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